A Darker Shade of Green
by GarmadonJr
Summary: Aster was always second best. Second strongest, second smartest, second fastest, second bravest. But that was to be expected, what with the ninja so much older than her. She'd never met anyone her age before- where would you find another 10-year-old in a team of elemental ninja? But things change when she meets Lloyd, who's more powerful than he seems. Disclaimer- I only own Aster
1. Chapter 1

*Tsunami*

Out in the yard, blades clashed, and brows furrowed, one in triumph, the other in frustration. Sitting on the stairs with eyes wide in anticipation were Tsunami, and her 7-year-old daughter Nya. Kai and his father swung their swords simultaneously, Tsunami grinned, proud of her son's progress. Most eight-year-olds would have been flattened battling Hotaru, but Kai persevered. _He's going to be a great warrior someday_. Suddenly, the sharp rap of a door knocker sounded. Distracted, Kai lost his balance and cut a wide swathe in empty air. Seeing an opportunity, Hotaru lunged forward, poking Kai's chest with his sword.

"Dad!" Nya cheered, running to the panting opponents. Giving her husband a smile of congratulations, and ruffling Kai's hair on the way out, she made her way to the gates. She pushed them open and stifled as cheer when she saw who the visitor was.

She hadn't seen her best friend since Aria had left, searching for the legendary Cursed Realm, but before that they'd been inseparable. The two girls had met as children, and had bonded when Aria had punched a boy (Hotaru, in fact) for attempting to flirt with Tsunami. They had grown up together, and Aria was the bridesmaid at Tsunami and Hotarus' wedding. She'd been there when Kai was born, but eventually when Aria's mother had become fatally sick, she'd journeyed to the Cursed Realm to search for the mythical Haunted Asters to heal her.

It warmed Tsunami's heart to see Aria again, but something was wrong. Aria was thinner than before, and her belly was unexplainably swollen. But worst of all, there was something different about her eyes. Her dancing hazel eyes were haunted with something that Tsunami couldn't put her finger on, and had turned a dull, hollow, muddy colour.

"Come in," Tsunami said without hesitation. She was curious, but it wouldn't do to have her pained friend stand outside while she eagerly interrogated her. Aria nodded, and followed her, walking in staggering steps that pulled at Tsunami's heart. The two women walked past the blacksmith shop to their adjoining home, into a room that Tsunami had prepared for her best friend a long time ago.

As she'd expected, Aria collapsed immediately into an armchair which she'd put there herself. "Thank you, Nami." Tsunami smiled at the distraught woman, and brushed aside a lock of hair on Aria's forehead.

"Dinner will be ready in an hour," she said softly. "Get some rest." Tsunami left with her mind full of questions, but she shut the door as gently as if it had been Nya, and not a long-lost best friend.

*Aria*

When Tsunami had left, Aria closed her eyes with a sigh. She'd been right to come here, and she could tell Tsunami cared about her as much as ever. There had been a part of her that had wondered whether she would be welcome here after so long, when she had been rejected everywhere else.

 _You're not welcome here_ , her father had snarled. _YOU brought this upon her. It is YOUR fault that your mother is dead, yours and your accursed ghost-child._ Aria shook her head, trying to shove the memory out of her head. _I'm safe now_ , she promised herself. She could easily imagine making a new life for herself here, helping out with Kai and household chores. She knew she'd be welcome here, as she and Hotaru had resolved their differences when the two had begun their courtship.

But somewhere deep inside, no matter how much she denied it, she was aware that she might not survive the year. _Ghosts and humans weren't meant to be together_ , Morro had warned, but at the time, the sacrifice had seemed worth it. Now though, she had something to care for. She put a hand on her belly, and felt her child nudge her, as if sensing its mother's anxiety.

Her child was the reason Aria hadn't given up. When she'd gone home, clutching a fist full of Haunted Asters triumphantly, she'd been greeted with furious words, and bitter tears. She hadn't realised that her journey had been so long. In the two years that she had been away, her mother had passed, and her father had suffered alone. He had been quick to anger when he realised who the father of her child had been, and blamed them for her mother's death. She had spent long months wandering around Ninjago and being shunned by her old acquaintances, especially once her pregnancy had begun showing.

Now that she was here, perhaps things might turn for the better. Maybe her misfortune had come to an end.

"Dinner's ready," a small voice chirruped. A little girl came bounding into the room. With short black hair and sapphire eyes, she looked exactly like Nami had, in their brief, happy youth. "Hi, I'm Nya, who are you?"

"I'm Aria," she smiled at the bouncing little girl, who had taken her hand impulsively. Aria twitched. It had been a long time since anyone had touched her, and she missed human contact. Despite knowing exactly where the dining room was, she allowed herself to be led out.

That night, the house was filled with contentment and laughter, as Hotaru recounted the multitude of times Aria had beaten him in a fight, with her and Nami chiming in from time to time, remembering the shameless way in which he had continued courting Tsunami, despite her attempts to avoid him, and Aria as backup. Everyone slept soundly after dinner, their hearts and bellies warm with the events that had occurred that day.

*Hotaru*

Hotaru paced around the yard, Kai and Nya equally restless. A week had passed since Aria had appeared, and she had fit into the family like a glove. He smiled mentally, remembering their age-old, one-sided rivalry. To him, she had been but an obstacle in his way for Tsunami, and according to Nami, she had viewed him as a dangerous and unwanted threat to her shy friend.

They had made it up, though. When the Serpentine had struck, she'd insisted on coming to war, despite not having any elemental powers whatsoever. Nonetheless, she was skilled with a sword, and had proved useful in the war. Both of the Garmadon brothers respected her, as did the rest of their small army. But their victory wasn't why he remembered the war fondly. One night, in camp, Aria had snuck into his tent. _I've realised why you don't go away,_ Aria had said, smiling. _You really do love her, don't you?_ Hotaru had been speechless, especially when he realised she no longer opposed his attempts at courting. After the war, Tsunami wanted her as her bridesmaid, and Hotaru agreed without hesitation, to her surprise.

In the week which Aria spent with them, their acquaintance had blossomed into friendship. Which was why he was so worried.

She had been training with Kai, when she had suddenly gone into early labor. Promising to explain later, Tsunami had whisked her into their bedroom, and from the open window, he could clearly hear gasps and groans of pain. Nya whimpered in response, and Hotaru picked her up. Normally she would have wriggled and protested that seven-year-olds did _not_ need to be carried. But today, she buried her head into his shoulder. Kai was glaring at the open windows, his fingers twitching for a sword. Hotaru understood the feeling, and placed a hand on his son's spiky hair. He bent down and murmured. "Some enemies can't be fought by a sword, and some battles have to be fought alone." Kai nodded, and kicked a boulder to relieve his feelings, an action after which he promptly gave a yelp.

Some hours later, Tsunami emerged, beckoning for Hotaru to come, but a look in her eyes warned him not to bring the children. "Go to bed," he suggested to Kai, and put down Nya. Neither of them complained about being sent to bed without dinner, which was usually a punishment. The two of them obediently went to their bedroom, and he followed Nami to their own room.

Aria sat on their bed, looking at a little girl with a loving gaze. But in her eyes was a sadness that he couldn't understand.

"Her name is Aster," Aria said quietly, her eyes still glued on the child. Suddenly, she turned to Hotaru and Tsunami. "Promise me you'll take care of her when I'm gone."

"That's it? You're taking off like that?" Hotaru spluttered in disbelief.

"No, Aria," Tsunami choked, her eyes filling with tears. Hotaru looked at the two women in confusion. "You said it was just a possibility… You said there was a chance."

"I was wrong," she whispered, holding the child closer to her. "Promise me…"

"We'll raise her as our own," Nami swore, the tears streaming now. Hotaru drew her close, and she buried her head in his shoulder as Nya had done only a few hours ago.

Aria looked at Hotaru, and he realised what she was talking about. "Aria-"

"Take care of her," she murmured. Lying back, she exhaled. And when the sun set, Aria disappeared with it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, thanks for reading my book. This is my first AN because my last chapter was my first on . So I just want to clear things up, because I ran out of characters in the summary. First of all, I own Aria as well as Aster. I do not own the plot line, except the parts that do not appear in the cartoons. And yes, these are from the cartoons, because I have never read the comics. If you think LloydXAster is strange because they're just kids, they don't stay kids for long, because in the cartoons they grow up, and there will be no shipping until then. So bear with me. I don't like writing ANs, so bye for now.**

*Kai*

The sounds of metal clashing rang through the air, much like they had five years ago, when Aria had arrived. But today the opponents were different. Hotaru and Tsunami stood on the side lines, shouting instructions, while a sweating Nya, whose match had ended a few minutes ago, called out encouragement. Kai swung his sword lazily at his adopted sister, who was struggling to hold a katana taller as she was. "Careful, Aster," he teased, jumping out of reach. "You might stub a toe." Making a face at him she began a series of attacks. Surprised at her speed and ferocity, he stumbled backwards, tripping over a rock and falling flat on his back.

"I win!" she cheered, jumping up and down on Kai's feet.

"Because I let you," Kai lied, getting up and brushing the gravel off his legs. She blew a raspberry at him in response, and danced off with Nya, still waving her sword in the air wildly. Hotaru walked over to Kai, grinning.

"Beaten by a 5-year-old girl," he said, shaking his head. "Shame on you, Kai." Nami chortled in response, but her laughter died away as she broke into a fit of coughing. Hotaru and Kai looked at her with concern. Recently, his mother had been infected with a serious bout of flu. She had made a recovery, but she was still subject to coughing. They had called a doctor, and refused to tell Kai, Nya and Aster the results.

"Mom, are you okay-" Kai began to ask, before his mother collapsed. Hotaru caught her not a second too early, cradling her in his arms.

"Get the girls," he instructed in a hoarse voice. As he turned towards the house, Kai could have sworn he'd seen the cold glitter of a tear on his father's face. Hotaru whispered something to his mother, who gave no response.

*Aster*

"Nya! Aster!" Kai's desperate voice echoed through the corridor as he burst into their shared room. "You gotta come with me," he panted. Aster looked at Nya and saw her fear reflected in her older sister's eyes. Following Kai's lead, they ran in terrified silence, to their parents' room. She'd never liked sneaking into it and treasure hunting like Kai and Nya did. She couldn't explain why, but an almost ghostly instinct told her of deaths in that room. She now knew her instincts were right.

The door was open, and in it were two quiet, still figures. One was kneeling by the bed in uncharacteristic silence; the other was stationery on the bed, the rise and fall of her chest slowing down, and eventually coming to a halt. Nya gave a wail, and rushed forwards to clutch her dead mother's hand, while Kai stood there in the doorway, as cold and distant as his father.

Aster took a few tentative steps forward, and placed a small hand on Tsunami's cheek. "Mom," she whispered as a solitary tear traced its way down her cheek. "Mom," she sobbed again, falling to her knees. As if out of a trance, her father wrapped his arms around his two distraught daughters, and Kai joined their embrace without hesitation.

She never knew if they were minutes or hours, but after some time, they broke apart. "Aster," Hotaru rasped. "I need to talk to you. Alone," he added with a significant look at Kai and Nya, who unsteadily got to their feet and left, with a knowing look in their eyes.

"Do you want to hear a story?" he asked gently. Aster nodded, mute. Anything, as long as it distracted her. "Five years ago," he began softly, "A young woman came here. She was tired, hurt, and pregnant." He paused before continuing, "She stayed with us for a week. Then her baby was born, but the mother was cursed, because of who the father was. She died in this room, after we promised to look after her child-"

"No, stop!" Aster interrupted, covering her ears. "I don't want to hear about fake deaths, not when Mom is…" She trailed off, not wanting to finish.

Hotaru smiled sadly. "But it's not a fake death," he said. "It's a true story, and Aster…" He reached out and held her hands. "You are that child."

*Nya*

It was night, when small feet padded into their room. Kai on the top of their bunk bed had already fallen asleep, but Nya lay there, waiting for her adopted little sister to come in. She and Kai had known immediately what their father wanted to talk to Aster about, and had seen it coming for years. They had known the moment would arrive ever since their parents had come out of their room clutching a bundle, whom they called Aster.

She knew the truth must have hurt, and she wouldn't blame Aster for getting angry. But it was a forlorn figure that slipped into bed that night. Nya reached out and held her little sister to her chest. Aster made no move to escape but stayed there, curled up against who she now knew to be an adopted older sister.

But when Aster finally spoke, it wasn't to accuse her of knowing, and withholding information, but to ask a question that Nya had asked Kai only half an hour ago. "Do you think Mom is happier now?"

"I don't know," she said awkwardly. "I only knew her for a week…"

To Nya's surprise, she felt Aster smile. "No, stupid," she chided. "I mean _our_ mom."

"Oh," Nya mumbled, inwardly smacking herself. "Of course she is. She's with her best friend now, and she can watch Dad 24/7, and laugh every time Kai beats him when they're sparring." After a tentative pause, Nya asked a question that had been preying on her mind for some time- "Are you OK?"

"Yes," Aster answered carefully. "I'll always be grateful to my mother, for all she suffered to bring me into the world, but _your_ parents are the ones who raised me. And to me, they'll always be Mom and Dad. And you and Kai will always be my brother and sister."

Nya chuckled. Her five-year-old sister, the philosopher. "Get some sleep-" Her suggestion was punctuated with a loud thump and a groan as Kai fell out of his bed. "You were eavesdropping, weren't you," she accused.

Kai shrugged unrepentantly. "So what is I was? Love you too," he added, climbing into the double bed underneath. Nya gave an irritated huff as Kai's hair began to tickle her nose, and Aster let out a sneeze, before cuddling up to Kai. Nya smiled, and followed suit. The three siblings curled up together, and soon began to snore in unison.

When the first rays of daylight began to shine through the window, Hotaru pushed the door open, and slowly, he felt the chains on his heart loosen as he saw the three of them bundled up in a tight ball. No matter where Nami was, he'd always have his children.

None of them ever dreamed he might be wrong.


	3. Chapter 3

*Hotaru*

Three years had flown by, and not a day passed that he didn't miss Tsunami, even though he was kept busy raising three children alone. Kai, who was now a strong young man of sixteen, had begun work as a blacksmith, though he frequently lost patience with the metal. "Slowly," Hotaru reminded him as his son snapped yet another sword in half. "The sword will be less flimsy if you make it slowly."

Kai grunted in acknowledgment, and proceeded to drag the misshapen katana to the rapidly growing pile of scrap metal. The demands for swords were increasing, as a group of deadly bandits circled the rural villages. Strangely enough, they weren't looking for gold or jewels, but for a map that would tell them the location of the most powerful weapons in Ninjago. Several families had been torn apart in their search for the Golden Weapons.

Hotaru couldn't help but feel guilty and furious at the same time whenever someone brought news of their latest victim. Despite his denial whenever anyone asked if he had a guess, he knew exactly where the map was. An old friend had entrusted it to him shortly after the war, and he had kept it safe for years, telling no one, not even Nami.

"Dad! I did it!" Kai cheered, waving a perfectly shaped katana. Hotaru grinned at him.

"Good job," he praised. "You can take a break until a customer comes."

Kai nodded happily, and made his way to the yard, where Aster and Nya were collecting water by the river. He was halfway to the door when snarling began.

*Kai*

Impulsively grabbing a handful of swords, Kai raced outside the shop to his sisters, with his father close on his heels. There were many reasons why the feral noises could be echoing across the yard, and his sisters being in danger was the first one off the top of his head.

When they reached the river, they saw the source of the snarling had been their neighbour's guard dog, which now lay dead, with its crimson blood soaking into the sand. Nya and Aster stood facing them, while four tall, burly men cornered them by the river. Nya looked up, and when she saw her father and Kai approaching, her eyes lit up. One look at his father's face, and Kai guessed immediately that the bandits, whom he'd recognised from newspapers, stood no chance.

"Where is it?" one of them roared. "Where is the map?"

"What map?" Nya asked. Kai noticed the tension in her arms and knew she was going to strike. Unfortunately, one of the bandits had noticed as well, and his arm darted out to pin hers against her body.

"Don't touch my daughter," Hotaru growled, throwing a well-aimed punch at the bandit's head. He let out a brief gasp before unsheathing his sword. Hotaru drew his own sword in response, and a battle began.

Kai tossed the swords at his sisters, both of whom caught them with reflexes uncanny for children. The three siblings charged at the waiting bandits, and for an hour, all Kai remembered was blocking, parrying, and thrusting. Occasionally his sisters would need help, and he would provide it, as Hotaru and the other bandit were locked in a duel to the death.

But as the minutes passed, it became evident that the children were losing. Their soft muscles began to tire, and their movements grew sluggish. Eventually, Aster was disarmed, and the bandit kicked her away to a wall, where she crumpled with a soft groan. Nya was now fighting two-on-one, and Kai suspected he could lose both his sisters if he didn't help. Abandoning his own opponent, Kai launched himself at one of the bandits attacking Nya. His efforts at helping were futile, however, and Nya soon collapsed when a bandit hit her- thankfully with the flat of his blade. Kai was now left duelling three people- a feat he'd never accomplished before.

He began to feel a vicious pride as he blocked blow after blow, and returning a few of his own, though his pride soon evaporated when a bandit disarmed him with a twist of his sword. "Oh, crud," Kai swore under his breath, adding a few profanities that Hotaru would have had his head for, had he heard.

"Kill them all," a bandit ordered. "Leave no one alive, then search for the map." Kai snarled at them, and grabbed Nya's sword. With a swipe, he thrust at the bandit. _Oh, no. No, no, no._ He had misaimed, he'd been aiming for the sword arm, but instead, the bandit's lifeless corpse lay on the now-scarlet grass.

With matching roars of outrage, the remaining bandits charged at Kai, who nervously dodged, rather than launch his own attack. _I don't want to kill anyone else_. He continued dodging for another few seconds, reluctant to raise his own sword, though he was steadily wearying, and he was beginning to be less successful. Cuts began to appear across his skin, staining his apron bright red. Finally, he stopped, panting, and backed away.

He was a second too late. A blade travelled across his face, leaving behind a gash that had just spared his eye. Warm blood dripped into his eye, and Kai staggered backwards. He distantly heard a voice yell his name as he fell to his knees. _Don't black out, don't black out_ , he begged himself. Through a slightly hazy screen, he saw his father run towards the bandits, and decapitate them with a slice of his sword.

"Kai," Hotaru murmured. "Are you alright?"

Kai nodded. "I'm fine- Dad, watch out!" he yelled, seeing the bandit behind his father, who turned.

But he wasn't fast enough. With a clean stab, the bandit drove his sword through Hotaru's heart.

"Dad!" Kai cried. Fixing his furious amber eyes on the bandit, Kai mustered his strength, and threw his sword at him.

There was a sickening crunch as his spine snapped, and the bandit fell to the ground, with a sword sticking out of his back.

"That was for Dad," Kai whispered, before losing consciousness.

*Sensei Wu*

Wu walked through the village at a steady pace. Despite his old age, his bones were free of the rheumatism that plagued other elderly people, possibly due to his frequent use of Spinjitzu. On the other hand, he did share the interests of a normal aged man, such as what his brother had called "an unhealthy obsession for tea." Tea, in fact, was the reason he had come here. The best tea in all of Ninjago was sold here, and he had recently run out. He was almost at the shop when he caught the smell of a familiar, metallic stench.

 _Blood_ , Wu tensed. Tightening his grip on the Ninjō, he changed direction, following the scent of blood, until he wound up at Four Weapons Blacksmith, the hiding place of-

The map. He'd given his friend Hotaru a map to guard, one that held the locations of the Golden Weapons. If they fell into the wrong hands, Ninjago would be nothing but a chunk of charred, barren land. Stepping over the corpses that littered the yard, he ran his hands over the sign, and to his relief, he found the subtle bump of the map hidden behind it.

Turning his attention to the bodies sprawled across the yard, he checked their pulses, except for the hopeless corpses who lacked heads. To his surprise, he found three limp, but living children. On the other hand, there were two less fortunate men who had stopped breathing, and had cold corpses. The first had a cold, unfamiliar, brutal face, and Wu shuddered to think about what would have happened, had he gotten his hands on the Golden Weapons.

The second corpse made his heart skip a beat. Wu stepped backwards and blinked a few times, to make sure his eyes hadn't deceived him. They hadn't. Hotaru's eyes had once been dancing with mischief and passion, but now they stared at him, glassy and sightless. "No," he whispered. When his father had died, there had been two guardians of the Golden Weapons- Wu and his older brother. When Garmadon had turned traitor, Wu had hidden the Weapons, and left the map with vivacious, honest, Hotaru, who he'd met in the Serpentine War.

Now Hotaru was gone, and Wu was once again left to shoulder a burden that wasn't meant for one person alone. Wu left his friend on the ground and went to check on the people he could help.

Using Spinjitzu, to avoid dropping them, he carried the children in his golden tornado to their living room. The two elder ones he placed on the sofa; the young child of about eight he lay on the table. He recognised all three of them from the descriptions Hotaru had put in his biannual letters. The eldest with spiky hair was Kai, the second eldest with a gentle expression he recognised as Nya, and the last he needed no description to recognise. He remembered her fierce expression, even when unconscious, and her unnatural streak of green hair from a long-ago student.

Morro. And this was his daughter.

Turning to more practical thoughts, he first cleaned Kai's wound, which would unfortunately scar, he began to administer to the minor wounds that the children sported. When he had finished at last, he took one last look at the now peacefully slumbering children. He saw the wind's ferocity in Aster's face, the river's strength in Nya, and a fiery passion in Kai. _Not meant for one person to bear alone._ Seeing the elements in the three young warriors, Wu realised it was time.

 _Fire is ready. I need to find the other three ninja, then we will be ready to retrieve the Golden Weapons._


	4. Chapter 4

**Brief AN- Should I use the exact Ninjago script, or just write what I can remember? Please tell me. And I'd also like to thank SlushyGoo for her constant reviewing and support! I'm also going to be writing longer chapters, but that means updating will be slower. Sorry!**

*Nya*

They had been orphans for two long years, and Hotaru's offspring were no longer children. Even 10-year-old Aster had been forced to grow up and mature earlier than the children her age. Tragedy had changed them all, though it was Kai who had developed the most. Kai had become suspicious and reckless, and harsh towards anyone but his family. Nya often worried about how he would rub off on Aster, who was rapidly becoming more stubborn, although Nya herself knew she wasn't as gentle as she used to be. In an effort to make sure that they would never lose each other in combat, they had all trained hard, and were now hard-pressed to find anyone in Ninjago who could beat any of them in a duel. Most villagers stayed away from them, as there was no longer any need for weapons or armour, and Kai generally scared them all off.

"To forge the perfect weapon, you first need the right metal and plenty of heat." Kai informed Aster, who was working on her own sword on an anvil a few meters way. "Cool it off… And presto!" Kai lifted a spiralling, useless sword.

"You made it too quickly, Kai," Nya laughed. "Be patient. If father were still here, he'd say-"

"I know," Kai sighed. "'No matter how much fire you have, experience isn't something you learn overnight.' That may work for you, Nya, but I'm gonna be a better blacksmith than Dad ever was."

"Not if I get there first," Aster announced, wielding a well-proportioned broadsword. Kai made a face at her.

"Show-off," he muttered.

Nya couldn't remember much from the day her father had died, except that she'd been woken up by Kai, who had been shaking on the sofa beside her, to an empty house which smelled strangely of tea. She had woken her siblings up, and they had proceeded to move the bandits' corpses to the other side of the road, and buried her father next to their mother. The funeral had been filled with people from a war their father had participated in, and Nya didn't recognise any of them, even though she had caught again the vague scent of tea.

She was reminded of the funeral when an old man smelling of _oolong_ , which her mother had loved, walked in. Nya wasn't surprised when Kai's eyes narrowed in suspicion, although she was slightly startled to see Aster tense as well. _Note to self- Talk to Kai about how he behaves in front of Aster._

"Your metal is loud is loud and heavy," the old man commented. "Useful to slow one down. Useless in the art of stealth. All tools for a samurai, but nothing for a ninja?"

"Ninja? Hmmph. You're a long way from finding a ninja here, old man," Kai retorted. "And the shop is call 'Four Weapons', not 'For Browsing'. Either buy something or go pedal your insults somewhere else!"

"Too bad," the man shrugged. "Thought I'd find something special here."

Nya glared at Kai, who glared back. They had precious few customers already, and his attitude wasn't helping matters. After a few seconds, Kai looked away and cleared his throat.

"Let me show-" Kai began repentantly, before coming to a confused halt. "He was just- Forget it," he said dismissively, before letting out a yelp as Nya elbowed him, frowning.

Aster hadn't moved since the old man had left. Her eyes were wide with fear, and Nya turned to look at the darkening horizon.

"What are they?" Nya asked, squinting at strange, approaching black dots.

"I don't know," Kai admitted, buckling on armour. "Stay here- Both of you," he added as Aster reached for her sword. With an exasperated huff, Aster folded her arms before smirking at Nya, as Kai swung his sword at the skeletal creatures.

"We're not really going to listen to him, are we," Aster said, grinning. Nya shook her head.

"Not a chance," she laughed, grabbing a bamboo staff as Aster swung her katana experimentally.

They set off towards the battle, and decapitated a few skeletons who were giving Kai a hard time.

"I thought I told you to stay back!" Kai grunted, swinging his broadsword at a nearby skeleton.

"You did," chirruped Aster, who playfully pushed aside a few leering skeletons.

"You can't have _all_ the fun, you know," Nya chided, lopping the head off a skeleton. Kai sighed, but didn't object after that, and they soon made short work of the army.

Their triumph was short-lived, though, as the skeletons' leader approached them, sneering. Kai drew his sword, and in response, the skeleton drew four blades of his own.

"Oops," Kai murmured, retreating cautiously. The skeleton laughed, disarming him and knocking him down. Nya tried to run to his aid, but was soon surrounded by the remainder of the army. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the old man run in, and take out the leader.

"Nya! Heads up!" Aster yelped as she cannonballed into the crowd of skeletons around Nya, who let out a grunt as she was knocked to the floor.

"You need to work on you aim," she grumbled, rubbing her head as she got up. Aster mumbled an apology as the leader, who appeared to be retreating, barked out an order.

"Lord Garmadon says to take the girl!" A giant hand of bone descended from the air, and before Nya was aware of what was happening, she was lifted into the air and being driven away from her home in a foreign vehicle filled with grotesque, grinning skeletons.

*Kai*

 _No… No… No, no, no…_ "They took Nya," Kai said quietly. Aster stood still, looking as shell-shocked as he felt.

"I told you," Sensei Wu, as the skeleton had called him, whacked him on the head with his bamboo stick. "Useless."

White-hot anger boiled in his stomach. "You could have done something!" he roared, his hands curling into fists. "You could have used your Twistitzu, or your…"

"Spinjitzu," Wu corrected, remaining irritatingly calm.

"But you did _nothing_!" Kai spat. "I'm going get our sister back!"

"So will I," Aster took Kai's hand, and he felt her small form shake with fury.

"Where they go, a mortal cannot," Wu informed them. "That was Samukai, king of the Underworld. And if he's carrying orders from Lord Garmadon, then things are worse than I thought."

"Lord Garmadon? Underworld? What's so important to them that they would take our sister?"

"What's so important? How about Ninjago itself? Long before time had a name," Wu began, "Ninjago was created by the First Spinjitzu Master, by using the four weapons of Spinjitzu- The Scythe of Quakes, the Nunchucks of Lightning, the Shurikens of Ice, and the Sword of Fire; Weapons so powerful that no one can handle all of their power at once. When he passed away, his two sons swore to protect them, but the oldest was consumed by darkness and wanted to possess them. A battle between brothers broke out and the oldest was struck down, and banished to the Underworld.

"Peace returned, and the younger brother hid the weapons, but knowing his brother's relentless ambition to power, he placed a guardian to protect them. And for fear of his own demise, a map for an honest man to hide. That honest man was your father. The older brother is Lord Garmadon, and I need to find those weapons before he does."

"You're the younger brother?" Kai guessed, his resentment thawing a little.

"Did you come for the map?" Aster frowned. "I think the skeletons took it."

"I came for you," Sensei Wu answered softly. "Not the map, which the skeletons certainly did take. You are both powerful, and I have not forgotten you, Aster. But it is Kai who I have come for, and Kai who I need right now. Ninjago needs your fire. I will train you to harness it, and you will be a Master of Spinjitzu."

Kai snorted. "I don't need your help. I need to save our sister." He tried to walk away, but Wu knocked him down before he even got a few paces away.

"You are not even ready to face my pinky toe," Wu cackled. "If you want to retrieve your sister, you must control the fire inside. Only when you have done so, will you be ready to face Lord Garmadon.

*Aster*

She'd known from the minute he had walked into the shop that Sensei Wu would bring bad tidings to their lives. Aster had seen it in the unusual wiry strength under his skin, the sure and steady way in which he carried his staff.

And she was right. Now she and Kai were following a senile old man, climbing up a steep mountain, while their sister was somewhere in the Underworld in the clutches of evil Lord Garmadon.

Fantastic. _Thanks a lot, Wu_. On the other hand, she was enjoying this trip a lot more than she would have cared to admit. Up here in the mountains, there was more wind than she had ever felt in her life. Even as a toddler, she had loved everything about wind- its gentle caresses, its cool touch, even the howling gales that frightened Kai. She admired its strength and ferocity. _Maybe this won't be so bad, if this weather keeps up_.Aster shook her head and slammed it into the mountain. _Idiot,_ she scolded herself. _You're here to support Kai in his training, not to admire the breeze._

"Ow!" she yelped as Kai's foot upset a shower of pebbles, which landed on her head.

"Sorry!" Kai apologised, and continued climbing on.

Every few minutes, Kai's hands or feet would slip, and Aster would be showered in rocks. By the time they were halfway up the mountain, Aster swore she would kill Kai as soon as they got to the top, training or no training.

As Kai tired, the showers became more and more frequent, and at last, Aster snapped. _Don't you dare,_ she glared at the rapidly approaching rocks. The wind roared in her ears briefly, and she braced herself for the impending sting of the sharp grit.

But the rocks never touched her face. Her eyes opened in confusion. A little batch of pebbles hung suspended a millimetre away from her nose, and were slowly floating away from her as if the wind were pushing it away. _Huh. Weird._ She decided to try again, the next time Kai kicked rocks down. Unsurprisingly, she didn't have to wait long.

Once again the wind suspended the pebbles, although this time further away from her face. _Move it to the right._ Obediently, the pebbles shifted over to the right. _In a spiral._ The rocks spun, wobbled, and fell on her forehead. Wincing, she climbed on. _Okay, maybe I should work on that_.

"Slowpoke!" Kai panted when Aster finally reached the top of the mountain.

"Your fault," Aster growled at him. "I would have come up faster if you hadn't dumped an entire junkyard worth of rocks on me." She punched him in the shoulder, which was as high up as she could reach. "A monastery?" Aster looked around their surroundings in surprise.

"You expect me to learn to fight in a place of peace?" Kai tilted his head in confusion.

"Not fight, _train_." Sensei countered, walking into the monastery. "Kai, your training begins now. Aster, the monastery is yours to roam. The rooms with open doors are free, choose one." Aster nodded in acknowledgment as Kai followed Wu into the monastery. _Well. This is boring._ She began to walk into the monastery, but stopped in her tracks when she caught a flash of red. _No way. Blood? Here?_ Kneeling down, she picked up a bright red kite. Grinning sheepishly, she padded in, to find an angry Kai punching a wall.

"That bad?" Aster patted his shoulder sympathetically. "I found something, here you go." She offered Kai the kite, but he shook his head.

"You can keep it. I gotta train." He jumped onto a log and flapped his arms desperately before falling off. "I'm working on it."

Aster spent a few minutes walking along the corridor before she found a room she liked. It was small, dusty, and fairly undecorated, but for a few faded pictures that were scattered across the room. What appealed to her was the large window, which she promptly opened. As she had expected, a gust of wind drifted in, and Aster stood there for a few seconds, before walking over to an armchair and inspecting her newfound kite.

It had no strings, but it might serve the purpose she had in mind. That night, she couldn't sleep. She'd always fallen asleep to Kai's rumbling snores, and in its absence, she found herself restless. Dragging the kite with her, she tried to climb onto the top of the monastery. _Come on. Jump. Now. No. Wait!_

She moved over to a nearby tree, and climbing that, she launched herself at the roof. _Yes!_ Out on the open rooftop was where she could feel the night's breeze best. Aster let go of the kite, which soared out into the sky. _Come back_ , she willed. _Come back_. To her immense satisfaction, the kite came back to her. What had Wu said? _You are_ both _powerful_. If Kai supposedly had "fire within", was it possible that she could control the wind?


	5. Chapter 5

**Now that she's at the monastery, there will be more Aster than there was in previous chapters. And I have less time, so I will be uploading super slowly.**

*Aster*

"This is really getting out of hand," Kai complained, rubbing his multitude of bruises. "I have been training for _days,_ but I never get pass more than half of the obstacle course. It's impossible!"

"But you _could_ do it," she reminded him, "If you had more time, right?" Kai nodded miserably. "Then _make_ more time," Aster poked him in the arm, and left for her own room, leaving behind a bewildered Kai. She had a plan in her mind's eye, where Kai had a pretty good chance of beating the course. He'd have to somehow stop Sensei from finishing his tea. Aster would have told him outright, but she was worried something in his training might go wrong if she did.

On the other hand, she had her own training to worry about. She'd been going out onto the rooftop every night to practice her newfound levitation, and had gotten to the point where she could send her kite shooting into the air in a spiral, and bring it to land safely next to her. She was aware it wasn't much, and it wouldn't be much use in combat, but it was something she could do that no one else could. It was a power that belonged to _her_ , not braver Kai, or Nya, who was better at almost everything she put her hand to.

Pulling the kite off its place on the wall, she set it down in the corner of the obstacle course. Kai was asleep in his room, and Sensei was probably in his room doing weird old people stuff. Wu hadn't said anything in particular, but Aster assumed she probably wasn't allowed on the course, as it was "too dangerous". Scoffing, she shot off, dodging, ducking, and shoving the dummies out of her way, then flipping over the shifting logs. She came to an abrupt halt less than thirty seconds after she had started.

Aster grinned triumphantly, picking up her kite again and vaulting up to the rooftop. She didn't need the tree anymore; her nightly work on the course had improved her coordination by far. Throwing the kite as far as she could, she told the wind to bring it up, and as it did more and more often, it obeyed. She spent a few more minutes before attempting what she'd never succeeded in before- levitating something else. Aster reached for her katana, which she'd strapped to her back. _This will be useful when we go to rescue Nya_. When she let go, the sword remained hovering in front of her.

 _Good_. She'd marked an X on a large oak tree on the very edge of the mountain, and with a flick of her wrist, she sent the katana flying at the tree. It hit the centre of the X.

Aster punched the air in triumph. "I did it!"

"A worthy effort," a voice spoke from behind her. She whirled around to face an amused Sensei Wu.

"Sensei," she dipped her head. "How long have you been watching?"

"Since the first night," Wu admitted. "You are more powerful than I thought. I did not know that you would train yourself if I did not."

"Why didn't you train me?" Aster tilted her head. If she was so powerful, why ignore her completely?

"I thought you should have a chance to grow up, before you began training," Sensei confessed. "It seems you did not need it. Should you wish to, I can help you train." Aster nodded without hesitation. To have an opportunity to become the best was worth whatever she had to give. "How have you been spending the days?"

"I've been reading in the library," Aster answered truthfully. She had learned a few interesting facts about daggerweed, a herb which could exchange two peoples' life forces, but she had also spent a lot of time napping, as her nightly training routine gave her no such opportunity.

Sensei nodded thoughtfully. "I have some letters given to me by Kai's father. You may want to study them." Then as an afterthought, he said, "If your training is to begin in earnest, you will need your rest. Go to sleep." Aster nodded again, and climbed down the walls to her bedroom. She fell asleep almost immediately.

The next morning, she scanned through Hotaru's letters, all of which made her smile. Her bright adopted father seemed to shine through the letters, which reminded her of the old days, when they had lived together as a happy family of five. But what interested her most was a letter that dated ten years ago-

 _Wu,_

 _Thank you for sending me the map. I have had_ no _trouble at all, hiding it from my extremely curious son Kai. In case you're wondering, that was sarcasm. Kai is ironically going through a ninja phase, with his sister Nya. Those two have been poking_ everywhere _in the shop, and Kai has no end of cuts from scrabbling around the swords. They almost found the map yesterday, but their youngest sister needed feeding, and they were temporarily diverted from their search._

 _About their new sister. I'm sure you remember Aria? Nami's friend, the one who punched Arcturus in the face? After the war, she went to the Cursed Realm, to find Haunted Asters. She spent a few years there after she got them trying to get out. Apparently she only escaped with the help of a ghost named Morro, who seems to really hate you. Not quite sure what that was about._

 _After coming out, she tried to go home, but she was pregnant with Morro's child. Again, I have no idea how that was supposed to happen. But she was rejected everywhere, and eventually wound up here, in Ignacia. You know how Nami loves her, so she stayed with us for a week or so, before she gave birth to a little girl. She died after we promised to take care of her kid._

 _Aria named the girl Aster, and Kai and Nya love her to bits. They know she's adopted, of course, and I plan to tell Aster when she's ready, hopefully in a few decades or so. Aster has adorable, big, black eyes, and she's got black hair as well. We've found a streak of hair that isn't quite black, though. It seem sort of green, and Nami thinks it'll get brighter as she gets older._

 _What Nami tells me is that Aria told her Morro was a Master of Wind. So there's a possibility that Aster will be a Master of Wind as well. I know you promised you'd help us train Kai and Nya when they're ready, but if it's not too much to ask, can you help out with Aster as well? It would help out a lot, because I'm not sure my setting her on fire would help anything._

 _Thanks,_

 _Hotaru_

Aster read the letter over and over again. Her mother finally had a name- Aria. And her father knew Wu, somehow. She'd be sure to ask Sensei who Morro was, although she dreaded his reply. _The one who punched Arcturus in the face?_ She grinned. Hotaru didn't read bedtime stories to his children, the way other parents did. He regaled them with tales of the Serpentine war, which Tsunami objected to, as she said it made the children "ten times more hyper", rather than lulling them to sleep.

As she now knew, Hotaru was a Master of Fire, and so he would have participated in the War against General Arcturus. So had her mother, apparently. And not only had Aria been on the winning side, she had punched a Serpentine in the face. _Respect._

"I see you enjoy reading the letters," Sensei said, walking into the room.

"Sensei," Aster greeted. "How did Kai do?"

"He failed," Sensei said smugly. "Again."

"Too bad," Aster shook her head in mock sadness. "Sensei, who's Morro?"

"And old student of mine," Wu sighed, staring off into the distance. "He believed himself to be the greatest, and left the monastery to find his own destiny when he was proved wrong. He met his doom in the Caves of Despair, and was banished to the Cursed Realm to stop him from destroying one who was more powerful than him."

Aster nodded, slightly disappointed. Then again, it wouldn't be fair if _both_ her parents were amazing. "I heard something, on the way to the archives," she began hesitantly. Sensei indicated for her to go on. "I heard voices. Three male voices, in the East Wing." Wu's eyes widened.

"Do not tell Kai of what you heard," he rasped. "He will be distracted from his training." He paused before asking, "Do you know anything about the Golden Weapons?" Aster frowned before replying.

"There are four of them, one for each element, right?" She looked at Wu for correction. He nodded.

"Four, one for each _Pure_ element," he amended. "There are many elements, but Fire, Earth, Ice and Lighting are the ones which Ninjago was created by. We have _four_ ninja, one for each Pure element. Kai is not alone. The voices you heard belong to Jay, Cole and Zane, Kai's elemental counterparts."

"Will we meet them?" she asked. Wu nodded.

"When Kai is ready," Sensei answered, and both of them turned to the window to see Kai complete the course again and again. "He is capable, but he must learn to see things from all perspectives, as I believe you already have."

Aster took the compliment silently, although she couldn't take full credit. Living with headstrong Kai and gentler Nya at the same time had shown her that the world could be seen in various ways, from a wonderful home, to a dangerous, but unavoidable place.

"Are you ready to practice your powers?" Wu queried. She nodded enthusiastically, and walked outside to the courtyard, which Kai had deserted to go clean himself up.

"Your wind is not solid, but a force that repels," Sensei stood at the steps. "Do not let this hit you." And with no other warning, he threw a shurikan at her. Reflexively, she sent a gust of wind that knocked it out of the air. "Good," Wu acknowledged. "But rather than returning weapons to your enemies, use them against them." And with that, he sent another shurikan at her. _Keep it in front of her_ , she ordered the wind. The shurikan floated in the air, and with a flick of her wrist, she shot it back at Wu, successfully pinning his gi against the wall. "Come with me," Wu beckoned, taking the shurikan off himself and walked to a room. Unlocking the door, he stepped inside, and hesitantly, she followed him.

The room was a shrine to all things ninja. Old, stained, and ripped gi hung on one wall, and parallel to them were six untouched gi. Four were red, white, blue and black, with leather cords across the chest and around the waist. Each of them had an elemental symbol set into a gold brooch, which were pinned onto the cords. Further to the right, there were two green gi. One was a bright leaf green, with grey-blue armour highlights. The other was simpler, more like the other elemental gi. It was a darker shade of green, almost black. A black leather cord circled around from the shoulder to the waist, with an eagle set into its silver brooch.

"Guess which one is yours," Wu offered, watching her, amused. Aster blushed, and closed her mouth.

"This one?" she stroked the dark green gi. Sensei nodded, smiling. "Wait… If this is mine, and the four are the elementals', who's is the lighter green one?"

Wu's face closed. "For someone else," he said. Aster understood she was being dismissed, and bringing her new gi with her, she retreated into her own room.

*Sensei Wu*

A day had passed since he had given Aster her gi, and he was now sitting on the monastery's porch, ready to watch Kai complete the training course. "Go!" Wu called.

Kai shot off like an arrow, completing the first section with ease. Wu hastily made himself a cup of tea, but just as he raised it to his lips, Kai threw his wooden practice sword at him, knocking the tea to the ground. _Oh. Smart._ He began to make himself another cup, but when he looked up to check on his progress, Kai was nowhere to be seen.

"Will that be one sugar, or two?" Wu turned to see Kai leaning smugly against a pillar, grinning. "So, when am I going to learn this Spinjitzu I've been hearing so much about?" Kai called out as Wu got up to go inside the monastery.

"You already have-" Wu began to say, when a small figure burst out of the monastery.

"You did it!" Aster yelped, hugging Kai. "You did it!"

"Aster," Wu reminded sternly. "What happened to your studies?"

"Sorry," Aster said apologetically, fixing her face into a sombre expression which did nothing to hide her dancing obsidian eyes. "I just saw from the window." Wu shook his head in amused exasperation. Aster did have some childish qualities, after all.

He walked into the monastery, into a large room. Three heads turned to face him, eyes shining in anticipation. "Sensei." His three other students bowed.

"What is it?" Jay asked, jumping to his feet eagerly. "A mission?" Cole and Zane immediately reached for their weapons, and Wu laughed inwardly. _They act like Aster_.

"Yes," Wu announced. The three teens whooped and cheered, pulling up their black hoods. "Tonight, I want you to find a person, who will be hiding in the West Wing. Attack him, subdue him, do what you must." Wu instructed. Jay and Zane looked to Cole, who gave them a confident nod. Wu had noticed that the other two ninja had begun to look at Cole as somewhat of a leader figure, which made sense, what with his being the Master of Earth.

 _This will be Kai's last test_ , Wu thought as he left the room amid eager discussion. _If he can hold them off, he will truly be ready._ Sensei had no doubt that Kai would pass, but he hoped Kai would not injure his elemental counterparts.

Aster walked into his study as the sun set, for her practical lessons. He had told her of Kai's test, and that if things went according to plan, she would meet the other ninja in a few hours. In preparation, Aster was dressed for the first time in her gi. _This is what Morro should have looked like._

Then again, if Morro was still at the monastery, Aster wouldn't be, and neither would the ninja. _Focus_ , he reprimanded himself. "Attack me," he ordered, and Aster shot a gust of wind at him in response. Making an attempt to dodge, Wu lunged to the side, only to be blasted in the chest by another gale. "That was good," Wu acknowledged with a nod before charging at Aster, striking down with his Ninjō.

The two weaved and danced around each other for hours, before grunts and yelps echoed up to Wu's study. "That will be the ninja," Aster guessed. Irritation filled Wu. _Honestly. That doesn't sound like anything I taught them_.

He marched down and flung open the monastery's door. "Stop!" he barked.

The three in black gi turned to him. "Yes, Sensei."

"Wait a minute," Kai frowned in confusion. "They're your students too?"

Wu began to nod in agreement when Jay cut in. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. You never said anything about a fourth! There's always three- three musketeers, three…" Jay continued babbling.

"What he means, Sensei," Cole interrupted, shooting Jay a warning glare, "Is that the three of us trained together. We're solid."

"Doesn't seem solid to me," Kai and Aster said in unison, before Kai turned to Aster.

"Who are you?" Kai asked suspiciously. Wu sighed in exasperation. The boy couldn't even recognise his own sister.

"Not one of us," Jay shrugged.

"She is," Wu countered. The ninja looked at each other in bewilderment.

Wu performed his Spinjitzu, and when he came to a stop beside Aster, the four teens were garbed in their respective gi.

"This is Kai, Master of Fire," Wu informed the other ninja. Kai was now dressed in crimson, with the fire emblem on his brooch. "Jay, Master of Lightning."

"That's not all I'm the master of," Jay boasted, before launching into another series of babbling. Next to him, Aster rolled her eyes at the ninja in blue.

"Mouth of Lightning, more like," Cole muttered, before he said in surprise, "Wait a minute, I'm still black."

"Black ninja is Cole. He is Master of Earth."

"Nice to meet you, kid," he smirked at Kai, who glared at him.

"I'm not a kid, wuss," Kai snarled.

"There ain't nothing in this world I'm afraid of," Cole retorted, crossing his thick arms.

"Except dragons," Zane, who was dressed in white, added.

"Dragons aren't from this world," Cole huffed. Wu heard gasping coming from Aster, and he turned to her in concern. To his relief and amusement, she was only laughing.

"This is Zane," Wu continued. "Ninja of Ice, and sealed with sixth sense."

"I sense this one takes things a little too seriously," Kai grinned. The other ninja laughed, but Zane tilted his head, impressed.

"You have the gift too?" Zane asked, intrigued.

"It was a joke," Jay snorted. "Your sense of humour, remember?"

"A joke," Zane echoed. "Yes. Ha ha." Jay shook his head in exasperation.

"And this is the fifth ninja," Wu placed a hand on Aster's shoulder, who pulled down the hood of her gi.

"Aster?" Kai gaped. He growled at Wu. "I thought you said it was dangerous, that it would be difficult. But you're going to bring a defenceless ten year old to save Nya?"

"Nya's my sister, too," Aster cut in before Wu could say anything. "And I'm not defenceless, Kai."

"She is correct on both counts," Wu agreed. "Ninja, this is Aster, Master of Wind. She may not have a Golden Weapon, nor was she chosen for this. But she is here, she is powerful, and her destiny is intertwined with yours-"

"We're going to save a girl?" Jay interrupted. "Is she hot?"

"Back off," Kai and Aster snarled in unison.

"Enough," Wu said sharply. "We must go to the first Golden Weapon, and bickering will not help."

"I thought you were going to teach us Spinjitzu," Cole frowned.

"Spinjitzu is inside you all," Wu said amiably. "Come, let us take the carriage. My feet are tired."

He turned to walk back into the monastery, leaving the five ninja in the courtyard, looking at each other uncertainly.

 _They are a team now, whether they like it or not_ , Wu thought viciously. Then, more doubtfully, he thought, _I hope they are ready. The fate of Ninjago rests on their shoulders._


	6. Chapter 6

*Cole*

"'Sign me up'," Jay mimicked Kai, who glared at him. Cole shook his head at the two of them. The two new additions to their team had not fit in as smoothly as he would have wanted. Aster was fairly agreeable, though Cole had made the mistake of calling her "cute", and had been blasted onto his rear by a gust of wind as a result. She was loyal to her family, and Cole had seen there were no limitations to the things she would do for them. Kai was likewise fierce and Cole could tell he loved both Aster and the sister who had been kidnapped equally, with all his heart. But the other ninja had yet to see Kai's softer side. He was rash, reckless, and suspicious of strange or new things- Like the other ninja.

"Way to go, Sparkplug," Jay groaned as Kai stepped on his foot.

"I sense this is some sort of 'team-building' activity," Zane observed.

"Just keep pulling," Cole sighed. "We've got a long way to go."

Aster grunted in response, and Cole looked at her with new respect. According to Wu, she had potential to be almost as strong as Cole was, but like the rest of them, she was new to her powers, and at the moment, she only had the regular strength of a child her age. Despite that, she hadn't shirked at all from the task Wu had set them- pulling the carriage, with an old man inside, who was heavier than he looked.

"So, how did Sensei find you three?" Kai asked after a pause.

Cole snorted. "Let's just say that if it weren't for Sensei, I don't think we'd have ever been seen together. I was testing my limits." It had been a year ago, and shortly after he ran away from the school his father had sent him to. Cole had begun to climb mountains as a sort of hobby, and he had grown strong. He had eventually decided to test himself, and see whether he could climb the Dragon Mountain, the highest in Ninjago. It was at its peak that he had met Sensei Wu, who had offered him the chance to be _something_ , not just a disgraced kid who'd run away from boarding school.

And now he was a ninja, on the way to find a Golden Weapon, accompanied by a guy who was so emotionless he could be a robot, a little girl, a seemingly brainless chatterbox, and a recklessly impulsive idiot. _Well, that's_ something _, alright._

"I was testing my invention," Jay piped from behind him.

"And I was testing myself," Zane told Kai.

"How did Sensei find you two, anyway?" Cole asked Kai and Aster.

"He just came by, one day," Kai shrugged. "Then my sister got kidnapped, and Sensei offered to train me, so I could rescue her."

"I came to the monastery with Kai," Aster panted. She was beginning to tremble with exertion, but she shook her head when Cole offered to bear her load. "While we were climbing up the mountain, I found out I could control the wind, when I levitated a few rocks Kai upset. So I practised using my power and the obstacle course at night, and it turned out Sensei had been watching me all along. He offered to train me, and so I said yes."

"You said yes," Kai shook his head. "Why?"

"Why not?" Aster fired back. Looking between the two of them, Cole could tell that Aster had her own reasons for accepting, though Kai might be oblivious to them.

"Stop!" Sensei ordered from the carriage, and Cole came to a halt. Aster's tired muscles reacted too slowly, and she bumped into Cole.

"Sorry," she hissed under her breath. Cole began to assure her that it was alright when Sensei started to speak.

"Ninja, retrieve the Scythe of Quakes," instructed Wu. " _Do not_ use it. You are not ready. Understood?" The five ninja nodded.

"So what's the plan?"

"First, we lower ourselves into their camp," Cole stopped. There were only three other ninja. Someone was missing.

"Where's Kai?" Aster frowned. After a brief scan of their surroundings, Cole saw a flash of red, namely Kai. He pointed at the brash ninja.

"Let's go," Jay sighed, jumping off the ledge.

"Kai's route, it is," Cole followed suit, grumbling under his breath. Aster and Zane shrugged at each other, and leapt after them.

The four remaining ninja crept carefully around the Skulkins' camp, often pausing to look around, or to avoid being seen. No more than a few minutes afterwards, though, a skeleton caught sight of Kai. Running ahead, and mumbling profanities, Cole grappled with the skeleton, who he dismembered in seconds.

They caught up with Kai shortly, and when they did, Jay reached out and slapped him.

"What is wrong with you?" Jay yelped at Kai, who only made motions at him to shut up. Below them, through a hole in the roof, they could see Samukai growling as he left the Golden Weapons' map behind to yell at his warriors, who were mining a hole into the mountain. "The map's upside down," Jay echoed Cole's thoughts. "They're digging in the wrong spot."

"The Golden Weapon is near," Zane noticed, as he extracted the map with one of his shurikans.

Grabbing the map from Zane, Kai studied it briefly. "There's no time to lose," he muttered, shooting off again, this time with Aster on his tail.

"That guy is always in a rush," Jay remarked. Cole shook his head in exasperation, catching up to them in a cave, attempting to roll a boulder.

"Before you two race off again, remember we're a team," Cole grunted as he and the other ninja helped to move the boulder away.

"Whatever," Kai snorted dismissively, ignoring Cole's glare.

"Wow, this is so cool!" Jay yipped as they stepped inside the giant cavern. His voice echoed, bouncing around the cavern. Zane winced, and Cole groaned. There was no way the Skulkin hadn't heard him.

"Oh, crud," Aster closed her eyes. "Jay, shut up."

Cole pulled the Scythe of Quakes out of a dragon-shaped rock. "Aster and I will go delay them. You guys take the Scythe and run."

"Yeah, I don't think that's gonna happen," Jay whimpered, as the Skulkin marched into the cavern, leaving nowhere for them to run to.

"Keep the Scythe away from them!" Cole threw the Scythe at Kai when a horde of skeletons surrounded him. He worked methodically, ripping limbs and heads off the Skulkin. Soon he was standing in the centre of a ring of bones.

Furthest away from him, skeletons were closing around Aster, who was throwing punches and kicks with a fury. He ran over to her, and pushed away a skeleton who was ready to stab her in the back.

"Leave me _alone_ ," Aster snarled at him. "I can take care of myself."

"Didn't look like it," Cole retorted. Aster silenced him with a finger.

"This feels familiar," Aster frowned, tilting her head. "The kick, the duck, then, _this-_ " She leapt into the air and flipped over a skeleton's sword. As she bobbed and wove through the Skulkin, grey-green wisps began to form around her ankles. The wisps curled and danced around her, forming a vague, tornado-shaped cocoon that extended several inches above the top of her head. The tornado soon flared a dark green, with hints of the ghostly vapour woven into it.

"Spinjitzu," Cole realised, staring at her. The tornado flung itself past Cole, where it plucked a few skeletons that were threatening Jay. With a flourish, Aster came to a halt, with a pile of bones next to her.

"Cool!" Jay's eyes widened before turning to punch a skeleton. "Wait a second… This is like the obstacle course! Over the planks! Dodge the sword! Here comes the dummy!" Like Aster, blue sparks of electricity formed at his ankles, spiralling over his head, before flaring into a bright, flickering sapphire.

"How'd you do it?" Kai asked.

"Just going through the motions," Jay grinned. "This must be what Sensei meant when he said we already knew it."

"Over the planks, dodge the swords, here comes the dummy," Cole heard Kai mutter under his breath. Kai's Spinjitzu was a fiery orange-red. A few meters away, Zane had burst into his own icy tornado.

 _Over the planks, dodge the swords, and here comes the dummy,_ Cole repeated to himself over, and over again. He closed his eyes, and lashed out at the skeleton, shoving it out of the way. When he opened his eyes, he saw the skeletons through a brown-black haze. He willed himself to move forward, and as he rolled over them, the Skulkin were trapped in his tornado. With a yell, he expelled them from his Spinjitzu, and they landed on the floor in pieces.

"Retreat!" Samukai howled. "Retreat!"

"We did it!" Kai punched the air in triumph.

"Yeah!" Jay whooped, jumping up and down.

Cole froze, and turned around. He thought he'd heard growling.

 _Dragon_ , Cole thought weakly. _Of all the creepy things to meet in Ninjago, it's a dragon. Oh, crud._

"Didn't Sensei say there was a guardian here?" Zane queried.

"That's… not what I think it is, right?" he asked quietly.

"It is," Aster confirmed, looking at the creature with a bemused expression.

"You mean a dragon?" Jay tilted his head.

"Sure looks like a dragon," Kai shrugged.

"I sense we might not be able to spin our way out of this one…" Zane observed, as the five of them began backing away from the dragon, who roared.

"I thought dragons weren't from this world!" Cole hollered as they raced for the exit.

"Give me the Scythe!" Aster yelled at Kai, ignoring him.

"We're not supposed to use it," Cole warned. Blast the idiotic ninja.

"So what?" Aster's eyes were shining.

"You better keep your mouths shut," Kai snarled.

"Don't do it!"

Too late. Aster and Kai charged the dragon, and Aster brought the Scythe slamming into the floor, ripping it apart. The dragon tumbled into the chasm, and Cole let out a sigh of relief.

"We are _amazing_ at this," Kai announced as they headed out into the open. Jay opened his mouth to agree, but their triumph ebbed away at the sight of a furious Sensei Wu awaiting them outside.

"I told you not to use the Scythe!"

"She did it," Jay pointed blithely at Aster.

"It was our only option," Kai defended. Aster looked away guiltily, while Cole narrowed his eyes at her. No matter what Kai thought, that had not been her reason.

"What make you think you're more important than the rest of the team?" hissed Sensei.

"We don't think we are," Kai denied.

"But Nya is," Aster blurted out, looking up with her black eyes burning. "Nya's the reason we're here, why we joined. Rescuing her is more important than anything, and if we need to wield the other three Golden Weapons to do it, then that's what we'll do."

Sensei glowered at them all for another second, before nodding curtly and turning back. Cole followed him, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw the other ninja trail after them. _I hope we'll do better next time._

*Aster*

Over the course of the next few days, they had sailed to the Frozen Wasteland and back, retrieving the Shurikans of Ice, and they had found the Nunchucks of Lightning in the Floating Ruins. Now all there was left to find was the Sword of Fire, in the Temple of Fire.

When the sky had darkened, they had made camp in the Forest of Tranquillity, which was no longer very tranquil. While Sensei Wu, who had evidently forgiven them for attempting to wield the Scythe of Quakes prematurely, meditated, Kai and Jay were participating in a set of rather disturbing dance move. Next to her, Cole pounded at his bongos rhythmically. _Where on earth did he get those, anyway?_

"Come on, Sensei," Kai called cheerfully. "Join us!"

"There is still one Weapon left," Sensei reprimanded him sternly. "We need our sleep."

"Another thing we need is a break from your awful dancing," Aster whimpered into her hands, teasing. Kai stuck his tongue out at her. True, they had cause to celebrate. They were close to possessing all four Golden Weapons, which would enable them to rescue Nya effortlessly.

But Aster couldn't help but think that it was too easy. The Skulkin had proven themselves to be ruthless enemies; why had they become so vulnerable? _Something's wrong_. Not to mention that every time they took a Golden Weapon, Aster had heard a voice in her head, roaring. The voice was always different, for every Weapon they retrieved. The voices talked to themselves, telling of failure, and loneliness. They never noticed her.

And she had other problems. She was hard-pressed not to just grab the Weapons and run off alone. Not for any particularly heroic reason- not to save Nya, or Ninjago, but to destroy. She had felt the power in the Weapons, felt the rush of strength when she used the Scythe of Quakes. She wanted it again. She wanted to be unstoppable, and invincible. She'd never lose anyone again.

Or would she? Kai was eager, but he'd made clear where his loyalties lay. Despite being a reluctant ninja at first, he had told her he considered the other ninja to be his friends. No doubt if she stole the Weapons for herself, she would have him to deal with. And Nya would turn against her too, if she heard of what she had done.

No. Aster silently vowed to protect the Weapons with her life. There was little to gain by taking the Weapons; her family, and her new friends, were worth more than that. She would not be a villain.

"Show us some moves," Kai tried to coax Sensei. "Come on, please?"

"Sensei, don't," Aster pleaded. "Save me from having to burn images out of my mind."

Sensei grinned, and stroked his snow-white beard. "Perhaps one won't hurt…"

Aster groaned as Sensei leapt to his feet, and taught the other ninja moves that Tsunami would have cried at. "My eyes… Help…"

The fire eventually died out, and one by one, the ninja and Sensei fell asleep, until Kai and Aster were the only ones left awake.

"One weapon left, sis," Kai sighed, leaning against a tree. "Then we'll go find Nya…"

"What then?" Aster asked, looking up. "What do we do after we get Nya back?"

"Will it be alright with you if we… don't go home?" Kai glanced at her. "I feel like… This is what we were meant to do. Working with the other guys… Being a ninja… Maybe it isn't just a temporary thing."

"Depends on Nya, doesn't it?" Aster shrugged. "But I know what you mean…" After all, how could they return home, go back to blacksmithing? They had seen the world as it truly was, they had seen dragons, weapons of gold, ninja who knew Spinjitzu. Kai had found his fire, and she wielded the wind. How could they return to Ignacia, to be among the powerless? They were among equals now, who saw them for who they were, not just "those orphan kids". They couldn't go home- they _were_ home.

"What's being a Master of Wind like?" Kai asked after a pause. Aster grinned.

"Awesome," she laughed, letting a few breezes bat at Kai's face. "Throw something at me."

"Are you sure?" Kai plucked a dying ember from the silent campfire. She nodded, and Kai sent it flying at her. It didn't even get more than a few inches away from Kai's hand, before the wind caught it. Kai watched it, mesmerised, as it spelt faded letters in the night sky. _Derp_ , she wrote in the sky.

"Hey!" Aster yelped as Kai tackled her. "Get off me, you giant lug!"

She threw him off with a blast of wind, and he landed flat on his back.

"That hurt," Kai sniffed, looking at her.

"Deal with it," snorted Aster.

"You're mean."

"You're a hypocrite."

"You're an idiot."

Aster opened her mouth to answer, but froze when a familiar voice echoed around the trees.

" _Kai… Aster… Kai…_ " Nya whispered softly, out of sight.

"Nya!" Kai and Aster called in unison, leaping to their feet. Their sister slid into view, pale and ghostly.

" _I have to go…_ " she murmured softly, running away from them. They followed her, trying to catch up.

"Why are you running so _fast_?" Aster stumbled over a stick.

"Come back!" Kai called desperately. "Nya!"

"Where is she?" Aster peered around their surroundings.

"In there," he pointed at the Fire Temple. The two siblings wandered warily into the temple, and Aster winced as a blast of hot air hit her in the face. She blinked, and when she opened her eyes, Nya was perched on a rock, in front of the last Golden Weapon.

The Sword of Fire gleamed, its blade embedded in a rust-coloured boulder. _Take it_ , her treacherous mind whispered. _Take it, and run._ Aster shook her head vehemently. _No. No, I promised._

"Nya," Kai sighed in relief. Aster grinned at her older sister, who smiled back, and the grin slid off her face. There was something strange in Nya's face… A sort of hunger…

"Don't worry," Nya mocked, her voice deepening in an instant. Her figure shimmered for a moment, before melting away. "I'm here… brother." Lord Garmadon's voice echoed around the inside of the volcano, cackling.

"Garmadon!" Kai spat, glaring at his shadow, which had formed where "Nya" had stood.

"Forgot something?" Garmadon purred, his shadow dancing across the walls.

"You can't hurt us here," Aster hissed, brandishing her katana.

"You were banished. You're trapped in the Underworld," Kai clenched his fists.

"And that is why you are going to remove the Sword of Fire for me," the shadow agreed amiably.

"I don't think so!" Kai growled. The shadow vanished, and a chain descended, dangling their real sister from the temple roof.

"Nya!" Aster yowled, launching herself up. She swung her katana across the chains, but to her surprise and dismay, her katana shattered, and the chains remained intact. Her momentum lost, she skidded to a halt on the other side of the cavern, balanced precariously on a tiny rock. Any sudden movements, and she'd be sent tumbling into the lava. _Great. So much for saving Nya._

"You know it's a trap," Nya warned. "Don't worry, I… can free… myself!" She struggled briefly, before admitting, "Okay, that's tight."

The chain slid downwards, and Nya was lowered a few inches closer to the lava. "Nya!" Kai's eyes widened in panic.

"Tick, tock. Tick, tock." Lord Garmadon's voice bounced around the volcano.

 _Do it, Kai_. They couldn't lose Nya, not again. Kai looked at her, with desperation in his amber eyes. She nodded curtly. Screw Sensei, family came first.

"Ninja-Go!" Kai yelled, bursting into his fiery red tornado. He leapt over the rocks, and grabbed the Sword. Leaping up, he swung it at the chains, which met more success than Aster's deceased katana. The blade swept through the metal like it was butter, and using his Spinjitzu again, he carried Nya to the banks a few metres away from Aster, who was still trapped on her tiny island. There was nowhere to go. Left or right meant a gruesome, horrible death, which she did _not_ want.

 _Hmmm_ … There was another option… Aster closed her eyes. _Just like the pebbles. Just like the kite._ She willed the wind to carry her up. Opening her eyes, she let out a triumphant yelp. She was hovering a metre above the rock. _Over to Kai and Nya. Please?_ The wind blew her over, before dumping her unceremoniously on the rocks. Nya was looking at her with shock and awe in her blue eyes, which didn't make a bad change. It was good not to be the underdog for once.

"Good one," Kai congratulated her, before sobering. They still had Garmadon to worry about. "Stay close," he warned. Aster nodded, feeling vulnerable without her katana.

"Trust me, I'm not going anywhere," Nya whispered in fear. Aster felt her tense.

"You're just a shadow!" Kai called. "You can't hurt us!"

 _Really, Kai?_ Honestly, what kind of idiot walked into a volcano, grabbed a Golden Weapon, saved his sister with it, saw his other sister fly, and assumed that shadows wouldn't hurt?

"Even shadows have their uses," Garmadon laughed. Kai's shadow grew, and turned to face him.

"Stay back!" he yelled shuffling backwards for emphasis.

"Stay back, stay close, make up your mind," Nya muttered. Aster couldn't help agreeing.

Kai attempted to strike his shadow, but being a shadow, his blow went right through him. Unfortunately, the shadow did not have Kai's limitations. It attacked him, striking at every opportunity- and there were a lot of opportunities. Kai's training blew out of the window as he did everything to beat off his attacker.

"Ninja-Go!" Aster whirled towards his shadow in an effort to stop it, but to no avail. Her Spinjitzu went right through it, and she tumbled into Kai.

"Not helping," he grunted, trying and failing to fend off a blow to the head. Aster ignored him, trying to hit the shadow.

"This isn't fair!" Nya hollered from behind her.

"Too hard?" Garmadon's patronizing voice asked. Aster bit back an urge to run to the Underworld and kick him where it hurt, as Kai's shadow multiplied, growing into an army.

"Of all the elements we have, it's Wind and Fire. No Shadow, or Light. Nope. We get Wind and Fire. This sucks." Aster tried to head-butt a shadow, but only succeeded in ramming into the wall. Nya and Kai fought furiously, but one kick from a shadow left Kai on his back, too close to the lava for comfort. A shadow stooped down and plucked the Sword from Kai's grasp, and raised it in triumph. _I give up. I'm not even going to try understand what's going on anymore._

But before the shadow could wield the Golden Weapon, a new shadow-figure emerged, one with a beard and a familiar straw hat. It struck repetitively at the other shadows, and was their superior by far. Glancing at the other side of the cavern, she saw Wu standing on a boulder, eyes narrowed in concentration as he made his shadow attack Kai's, which were soon defeated and sent sprawling.

"Brother…" Garmadon hissed. "I see you protect them, but what of the other three?" _That's it? You guys see each other for the first time in, what, decades? And no hello? Nice meet you? You just threaten a bunch of derpy teens outside? Okay. Because, heck, this is Ninjago. This is what we do here._ All Aster could do was try not to roll her eyes. If this was what life with the ninja was going to be like, she'd better get used to it.

The air before them shimmered, colouring to reveal a scene which showed Cole, Jay, and Zane being overpowered by the Skulkin. _Yup. We're screwed._

"I believe those belong to Lord Garmadon, now," the Samukai in the scene cackled, brandishing the other three Golden Weapons.

"My brother must not unite the four Weapons," Wu turned to them, his pale blue eyes clouded with fear. "We must keep them apart!"

"Awaken, guardian of the deep!" Garmadon called. "They're stealing the Sword! You must not let them escape!"

With a roar, the Fire Dragon erupted out of the lava, shaking its head. It turned so its rear blocked off the entrance, and all other potential exits.

"There's no way out!" Kai turned to Sensei.

"There is one…" Wu countered, tightening his hold on the Sword. He leapt onto a rock, which drifted towards a hole in the cave which she hadn't noticed before.

"No, you fool!" Garmadon roared.

"If he is to bring the other weapons here, then I will take the Sword of Fire to the Underworld. It is my sacrifice to pay."

"No, it's ours," Aster said softly. "We should have waited… Shouldn't have come here alone." It was her arrogance, hers and Kai's. They should have known better than to believe Nya would have acted so strangely.

"There has to be another way!" Kai looked at Aster desperately. She tried summoning her wind, but it sputtered out. _It's not working!_ Aster looked at her hands in dismay. _Why isn't it working?_

"I will see you there, brother," Lord Garmadon snarled, and the three siblings were left alone with an angry dragon.

 _Thieves!_ A voice roared in her head.

 _The voices are back…_ Aster clutched her forehead, while Nya looked at her in concern.

 _No… I've failed. I promised him, the Golden Dragon, that I would protect the Golden Weapon. Now it's gone…_

Aster frowned. This was the first time a voice had mentioned dragons or protection. What if the voices belonged to the guardians?

 _Humans_ , the voice thought in disgust. _Vile rodents. They must pay! They have stolen the Weapon!_

The dragon opened its mouth, ready to shoot a jet of fire at them. Behind her, she felt Kai and Nya tense. There was nothing to lose…

 _Wait!_ Aster called. The dragon snapped its mouth shut in surprise. It looked around, scanning for another dragon.

 _Who speaks?_ It demanded. Aster waved her arms, trying to get its attention.

 _Over… Here… The one in green… Yes… Here._

"Aster, what are you doing?" Kai hissed tugging at her.

"Wait…" she murmured. "Watch…"

 _How can you speak?_ The dragon tilted its head in confusion.

 _I'm not quite sure… But can you do me a favour?_

 _What?_

 _Please don't eat me._

The dragon barked in laughter. _Eat a hatchling? Why would I do that?_

 _Because you think I stole the Golden Weapon?_

 _Fair point._ The dragon lowered its head, narrowing its eyes. _Why did you try to steal it?_

 _Because I could?_

 _Hatchling, I'm serious._

 _Fine. We were trying to protect it, from somebody else, who wanted to steal it to destroy Ninjago._

 _That makes sense. Maybe I won't eat you. Who are you, and those with you?_

 _The old man who took the Sword of Fire is our Sensei. The girl with black hair over here is my sister, and the red ninja over there with the grumpy expression is my brother. He's Master of Fire._

The dragon sniffed at Kai, who yelped, and leapt backwards, almost toppling into the lava.

"Aster, what are you doing?" Kai shuffled closer to Nya. "That thing's trying to eat me!"

 _He is Fire,_ the dragon noted. _I can smell it. Your sister smells of the sea. Everything has a scent, but why can I not smell yours?_

 _I am Aster…_ she began hesitantly.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hi, GarmadonJr back. If you've read Chapter 4 or 6 and noticed something funny, I'm sorry. Chapter 4 was missing a huge chunk for some reason, so I had to re-upload it. I didn't realise there was a word limit, so I wrote a ton for Chapter 6, which got cut short. I can't rewrite it without messing up the entire thing or potentially making it longer, so I'm going to try continue the best I can from where Fanfiction left me off. And I had writer's block, which is why I have remained silent for so long. Sorry.**

 **And if you're worried about me turning this thing into a dragon book, don't be. I love dragons, but they will not be critically important characters. In the future. For now, just deal with it.**

*Aster*

 _I am Aster_ , she began hesitantly. _Master of Wind._ She fell silent for a moment, not sure what to do.

"Aster," Kai spoke up from behind her. "Are you talking to this… thing?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "Don't ask how, because even I don't know."

"Can you ask it something?"

"Sure."

"Ask if it can take us to the Underworld."

"It can do that?" Aster studied the dragon, who was regarding her with equal curiosity.

 _If you're talking about me, which I assume you are, please do not refer to me as "it". I have a name, you know._

 _Which you have kindly neglected, to tell me, "It"._

 _Fair enough. I am Flame_ , he extended a claw. _And you are going to die shortly._

 _Wait, what?_

 _In case you haven't noticed, humans are fragile creatures. Only the Master of Fire can survive in this heat for long._

 _Then can you let us out now?_

 _Magic word?_

 _Abracadabra!_

 _Try again._

 _Please!_

 _There you go._

"Climb on!" Aster called to Kai and Nya, who swung onto Flame's scaly back.

Outside the temple, they heard the voices of the rest of the team.

"We are too late," Zane murmured, out of sight. "The elemental weapons are in the Underworld. The end is drawing near."

"Great," Cole growled. "The one place no mortal can cross over- That's where the Weapons are."

"Maybe we can't cross over," Kai called from behind her, "But dragons can."

With a dramatic roar, Flame burst out of the temple. Aster stifled a chuckle as Cole let out a startled yelp, his face the picture of terror.

 _And that is how you make an entrance,_ Flame snorted smugly. She huffed in exasperation.

 _Can you help us with something?_

 _Yes?_

 _My brother wants you to take us to the Underworld._

 _Of course._

 _You can do that?_

 _One of the benefits of being a dragon._

 _How?_

 _I don't know. How is it that you can talk to me, and that we can understand each other?_

 _No idea. Do you know?_

 _Yes, but now is not the time for explanations. Now go talk to your squishy two-legged friends and explain what you would like to do._

"Guys," Aster cleared her throat. The four ninja looked up at her. "Kai's right. Flame can take us to the Underworld."

Nya turned to Kai, confused. "How did you know-" She broke off, her eyes lighting up. "Dad's bedtime stories!"

"Dad told bedtime stories?" Aster frowned. Not in her memory, certainly.

"Dad used to tell us bedtime stories, a long time before you were born," Kai explained. "He talked about how dragons could ferry things between the realms. Then your mom came, and he got all excited about the Serpentine War, and he sort of gave up on bedtime stories. 'Course, the Serpentine were a lot more exciting…"

"Kai, we're getting off topic," Nya nudged their brother. "The point is, yes, the dragon definitely can take you to the Underworld."

"You've got to be kidding…" Cole mumbled, eying Flame warily.

"Nope," Aster said cheerfully. "Totally serious. Come on, this is going to be fun!"

"Grrragrle blarch," Jay gargled. Aster shrugged.

"See, he agrees with me!"

"Actually, Aster, I believe he is asking Nya if she likes blue," Zane observed

"My favourite colour, actually," Nya shrugged. Jay punched the air in triumph, his eyes bright with something foreign to Aster. Glancing at Nya, Cole had the same, though more subtle and subdued, expression. _Why do I get the feeling this is going to cause trouble someday?_

"Come _on_ ," Aster urged, shrugging it off. "Let's go, go, go!"

Nya smiled at her, briefly hugging her, before turning to Kai. "I guess this is goodbye, then," Nya said softly, looking at her siblings. "You guys come back to me in one piece, okay?"

"We won't be gone for long," Kai promised. He turned to the other ninja. "Let's go!"

"There's no room on that thing," Cole glanced at the dragon. "You guys go on."

Aster hesitated. Even if he was just making excuses, Cole had a point.

 _Flame, we can't all fit on you._

 _It'll only be a short trip to the Floating Ruins._

 _Wait, what?_

The dragon snorted. _I don't intend to go to the Underworld myself. Just as your brother has his team, I have my own brethren. I'm going to find them._

Aster grinned. What was not to like about searching for things that could potentially eat you?

*Flame*

Flame peered into the Caves of Despair, letting out a soft breath of fire. Outside, Wisp and Shard, dragons of Lightning and Ice, stretched their wings, their respective elemental humans wriggling on their backs. On his own perched his own elemental human, and the Master of Wind.

In the light of his fire Flame saw a dark, forlorn figure sprawled on a pile of rocks. The largest, strongest, oldest of the dragons- the Dragon of Earth, who lifted his head at the light. His eyes widened slightly at the sight of Flame, before they narrowed.

 _You shouldn't be here_ , he growled, before he turned away. _We were charged to stay in our appointed locations._

 _Until the Master of Wind came_ , Flame countered. _The Golden Dragon told us to guard the Weapons, and stay where we were told to go until the Master of Wind came. Then he would show us the way to our elemental ninja._ He paused. But wasn't their Master of Wind female? What if he had disobeyed the Golden Dragon? What if they were supposed to wait for someone else?

 _Where is the Master of Wind?_ The Earth Dragon demanded. _If you are here, then that means the Master of Wind is here. Where is he?_

 _Here_ , Aster called softly, finally speaking up. Her voice, unlike that of a dragon's, was cleaner, without even a hint of a rasp.

The Dragon of Earth got to his feet, and prowled, circling Flame and examining the two humans on his back. Craning his neck, Flame noticed that the Dragon of Earth was glaring at both Flame's elemental master and his sister.

 _Two problems_ , he declared. _Firstly, the Master of Wind is female._

 _I can hear you, you know_ , Aster snarled, her eyebrows furrowing.

 _You misunderstand me_ , the Dragon lashed his tail. _We were told to wait for the Master of Wind._ He _would lead us to our respective elemental masters. Where is the_ true _Master of Wind?_

Flame felt Aster shift on his back. Evidently she knew the answer.

 _Aster?_ He prompted.

 _The only other Master of Wind was my father,_ she replied, playing with the scales on Flame's back. _He… died. A long time ago._

 _Then the prophecy is incomplete,_ the Dragon stated, already turning away. _Go back the Fire Temple, Flame._

Flame felt fury rise up in his chest. Even as hatchlings, the Dragon of Earth had been stubborn, and unwilling to divert from any plan, not matter what. It had been irritating then, but now that improvisation was so critically important, it was maddening.

 _Listen to me!_ Flame roared, lunging forward, and pinning him to the floor. _The Golden Dragon was wrong. He made a mistake. Here are our elemental masters, and here is the Master of Wind. The First Spinjitzu Master's son said he would select the masters when the time was right, and he has. You need to open your eyes. The Master of Wind's gender doesn't change anything. You will come with us, because we need your pathetic hide. Understood?_

Behind him, furtive, unintelligible murmuring sounded, as Aster translated for her brother. But the human squeaks were cut short as the Dragon of Earth rose to his full height, flaring his wings and knocking Flame down.

 _You forget your place_ , he growled. I _am the strongest, and_ I _was chosen to lead us. I will come, but do not ever think of attacking me again._

Despite the new scratches on his neck, Flame smiled inwardly. At least they had all four dragons.

The Dragon of Earth let go. _My second problem is with the humans._

 _Yes?_ Flame could hear impatience leaking into Aster's voice.

He strode over and leaned in, his nose almost touching Aster's. _Master of Wind or not, wield the Scythe again and I will personally tear you apart._

 _Deal. Come on,_ Flame insisted, nudging his elemental master onto his back, where he had fallen from when the Dragon of Earth had attacked. The Master of Fire looked at him, grinning. Evidently, like Flame, he'd found the encounter entertaining. Aster followed, using her wind to boost herself up behind the Master of Fire.

They had already found all four ninja, and the four elemental dragons were reunited. All that was missing were the Golden Weapons.

The Underworld awaited.

*Jay*

Jay's body throbbed painfully as he struggled to dismount his dragon. They had successfully crossed over to the Underworld, and the shift between the Realms was nauseating. And the Underworld was so _dark_ , how could the Skulkin bear to live here? And his stomach was grumbling, he wished he had something to eat. Maybe cotton candy? That would have been great. Who knew, maybe Skulkin had fast-food, and they could get take-away at some restaurant afterwards.

"Solid ground," Cole sighed, voicing Jay's relief. "We made it!"

 _Look at that_ , Jay tried to say, pointing at the Skulkin Palace, which he'd just noticed. Instead, he mumbled, "Lrrg ga murgggh." He glowered pointedly at Cole, who'd been the one who had hit him in the throat accidentally. Cole shrugged his shoulders sheepishly, looking apologetic.

"Sensei's in there," Zane nodded at the structure.

So they had no choice. They'd have to enter the Skulkin Palace. The creepy, dark place, crawling with Skulkin. Jay's blood ran cold just thinking about it.

Next to him, Aster poked Kai, and pointed at the Skulkin sentries, who were turning over a cart, seemingly searching for something.

"They're expecting us," Kai realised.

"How are we supposed to get in now?" Cole narrowed his eyes at the Skulkin.

"There are stalactites hanging from the ceiling," Zane noted. "Perhaps we can climb them to the palace."

The ninja climbed onto their dragons, vaulting off their heads onto the stalactites. Jay wriggled further up on his, before flying off onto another, which felt brittle. He looked up, trying to make sure that the top of the stalactite was solid enough to hold his weight. Jay's stomach dropped when he looked straight into the face of a giant spider.

"Spuuuurgh!" Jay shrieked, pointing at the spider, trying to warn the other ninja, who took no notice.

"Can I be the first to say it's been an absolute pleasure since Jay lost his voice?" Cole remarked, swinging determinedly onto another spider leg. Kai grinned, nodding in agreement. Jay narrowed his eyes, swearing to himself that he would kick them off their spider legs if they made another crack about him.

He waited patiently for one of them to realise the potential threat they were in, and breathed a sigh of relief when Zane finally looked up. His relief turned to horror as Aster drew a katana, and attempted to drive it into the spider's abdomen. She failed, the spider's shell being far too thick, but now it was angry. The massive arachnid swivelled around to face them, baring its fangs. Terrified, Jay let go, dropping to the floor. The four thumps next to him told him the other ninja had done the same.

Across the cavern, two Skulkin were conversing in furtive murmurs. One was staring at them, and Jay was fairly sure they'd spotted.

"Ninja!" it hollered. Okay, that sucked. Next to him, he heard Aster growling a colourful string of curses. Well, her gender or her age certainly didn't seem hold her back.

They got to their feet, taking on battle stances, as the Skulkin closed in on them.

"I count ten boneheads to every one of us," Cole mumbled. "And I like these odds."

As if on cue, the giant arachnids on the ceiling began to lower themselves on strands of silk. The number of their opponents had doubled. _Way to jinx things, Cole._

"O-o-okay, anyone got any bright ideas?" Kai squawked, fending off three Skulkin who had decided to attack simultaneously.

"Ninja-GO!" Zane spun into his ice-blue tornado, taking out a few skeletons, who immediately reassembled themselves.

"Way to go, genius," Aster growled, sending a burst of wind at a group of leering Skulkin.

"Any ideas?" Kai repeated, ducking as Aster sent a Skulkin head flying at him.

Jay studied Aster's wind, an idea forming in his head. _Wind- Storms. Storms- Tornadoes. Tornadoes- Spinjitzu. Spinjitzu-_

"Turggggh nuggggh uggh ugggh eeeatiurggh!" Jay grunted, trying to ignore the stinging of his throat, as he swung his nunchucks at a skeleton.

"You feel a weird sensation?" Cole guessed.

"You ate an odd crustacean?"

"You have a strange imagination?" Aster suggested. "Sorry, Jay, but we already knew that."

Kai gave his sister a _seriously_ look. "No. It's 'Two minutes on vacation', genius."

Jay let out an exasperated sigh, bracing himself for the stinging of his throat.

" _Tornado of Creation!_ " he roared, earning several _oh_ s of realization.

"But it could lead to disastrous consequences," Cole warned, eyebrows furrowing.

"We're about to _have_ a disastrous consequence," Kai snapped, already moving into position.

"Just do it!" Aster snarled impatiently.

"It seems a logical choice," Zane nodded.

Jay grinned. "Let's do this," he yelled, his voice having miraculously returned.

"Earth!"

"Fire!"

"Ice!"

"Lightning!" Jay joined the fray, adding his electric-blue Spinjitzu to the massive tornado now towering over the Skulkin. He felt power surge through his veins for a few glorious moments, then as quickly as it had come, the Tornado winked out of existence.

Looking up, Jay finally saw what they'd built- an enormous Ferris Wheel of bone, with several skeletons trapped in each of the cabins, which resembled cages. By the foot of the Ferris Wheel was Aster, slumped over and barely conscious.

Kai ran towards his sister lifting her to her feet. Cole stepped forward, concerned.

"What happened?" Zane asked, echoing Jay's thoughts.

Aster raised her head, her black eyes glinting with a hint of bitterness- she was jealous of their power, Jay realized. "I tried to hold off the Tornado of Creation," she rasped. "Turns out one power doesn't work so well against four others. The wind gave out, and you guys… threw me into the Ferris Wheel."

Kai's eyes were troubled. As much as he wanted to stay with the sister he had accidentally hurt, he was obliged to retrieve the Golden Weapons. It was their duty.

Aster noticed his hesitation. "Don't worry," she grinned weakly. "I'll be fine here. You guys go on."

Ever the straight-forward one, Cole spoke up. "We need to go," he said. "We don't have much time."

Reluctantly, Kai nodded, and got to his feet. The four travelled onwards, feeling somewhat emptier. They'd started off as a team of five- it seemed that they should have finished off together. But Jay was aware that though Aster was a part of their team, she wasn't one of them. She wasn't a "Pure" Elemental Master, as Sensei had called them.

Jay's thoughts revolved around Aster, his feet moving automatically. Jay had known that becoming a ninja wouldn't come without strings, but before now, he'd thought that getting hurt and leaving people behind would be avoidable.

Now he knew better, though, and to be honest, it scared him. His terror was very, very, real, and it threatened to swallow him. He was so occupied with that he didn't notice that they'd stopped, and bumped into Kai. The fire ninja, who ordinarily would have come up with a multitude of death threats, made no move other than to shush him, and motion at him to stay back. His eyes were fixed straight ahead.

Jay got on his toes to peer over the taller boy's shoulder. His heart nearly stopped. Sensei Wu wielded the Sword of Fire, while Samukai, wielding the other Golden Weapons, sent ice, earth, and lightning flying at the old man. Sensei was strong, and likely would have won in a fair fight. But Samukai had three of the most powerful weapons in Ninjago, while Sensei only had one. His defeat was inevitable.

Jay still hoped, though. He imagined Sensei hurling a fireball at Samukai, blue eyes sparkling in triumph. His heart sank when the four-armed Skulkin disarmed Wu, a towering menace of bone. It stooped to pick up the Sword, cackling as it wielded all four Weapons. Lord Garmadon, perched upon a throne of bone, smiled at Samukai, something dark lurking at the corners of his mouth.

"Bring me the Golden Weapons," Garmadon ordered, holding out a hand as dark as midnight.

The massive skeleton leered at him, to Jay's surprise. "No," he growled. " _You_ obey _me_ , now!"

Instead of losing his temper, as Jay would have expected, Garmadon laughed mockingly. "Selfish fool," he purred. "I planned this, you know."

Samukai began wailing, as his body glowed. "What's happening to me?"

"No mortal can wield all four Weapons at once," Sensei spoke quietly, watching Samukai a little sadly.

With a final screech, Samukai exploded, and a swirling vortex appear where he had stood.

"Father would not want you to do this, brother," Sensei pleaded, as Garmadon stood, walking to the vortex. Jay had no idea what they were talking about, but he assumed it was something unpleasant.

"Father is no longer here," Garmadon snarled, his amused expression vanishing in an instant. "Good and evil, there has always been a balance. Where I go, the balance can be destroyed. Soon I'll be strong enough to possess the Four Weapons so I can recreate the world in my image!"

And with that, Lord Garmadon, the man of their nightmares, walked into the portal, which winked out of existence, as if it had never existed in the first place.

 **Okay, GarmadonJr here. This thing took a month or so to write. I blame Writer's Block. Admittedly, this is not my best chapter ever, but at least we're done with the pilot episodes! Next is a filler chapter, then we meet the sixth ninja! Yippee! Not pressuring you or anything, but please review if you liked this.**


	8. Chapter 8

*Aster*

Aster ran a hand along the row of scrolls, feeling their papery texture. The monastery had an impressive library, although there were no scrolls for children. She didn't mind. The scrolls back home had never been very childish, either. It was enough for her to be surrounded by all the documents, myths, and fables. She'd only been at the monastery for a week, and already she'd inhaled a quarter of them.

She'd always enjoyed reading. As a very young child, she'd spent hours in the living room puzzling over words and letters with Tsunami. As she'd grown older, especially in the last five years without her adopted mother, scrolls had become a way to remember Nami. Of course, once Hotaru had perished, she'd spent more time sword-fighting. But it always made her happy to see scrolls.

Excited yells sounded from outside, followed by Kai's frustrated swearing. She heard Cole's voice as he tried to calm down the agitated Master of Fire, and Nya's laughter at her brother's misfortune. Ever since Garmadon had left their realm, Ninjago had been fairly quiet. The ninja had taken their free time as an opportunity to play video games, and so outbursts like this had become quite common- especially when someone defeated her incredibly competitive brother.

Aster played with them sometimes, but it got boring. Especially when her character did nothing but die. So she spent her mornings in the library, flipping through the scrolls. After lunch, she'd barge into the gaming room, and dragged them out by the ear to spar, for no reason other than because she had nothing better to do.

Sparring with Kai was a lot like dancing, as they'd become so used to each other's attack patterns. Jay enjoyed surprise attacks, which were fun to fend off. Cole was probably the most fun to fight with, as he relied mostly on brute strength, and so no tactics were necessary- as long as she was faster than him, she'd avoid decapitation. Zane was harder, though. He only attacked when he was a hundred percent sure he'd hit her, and so they'd spend ages seizing each other up before they actually got to the action.

Zane was strange. She'd come to accept Jay and Cole as extended family, but she couldn't come to terms with Zane. Everything he did was cool and calculated, as if done mechanically. Aster was almost his polar opposite- she did almost everything on impulse, and she rarely cared about the consequences. She found it hard to understand him.

"So this is where you spend your mornings," Zane spoke from the doorway. _Speak of the devil_.

"Yeah," she answered, shifting from foot to foot. She had no idea what to say, and given Zane's silence, the feeling was mutual.

"Why aren't you with the other guys?" she blurted out, plucking the first thing she could think of.

"I lost all my lives," Zane shrugged. Any other place, the statement would have sounded strange, but Aster understood. "There was nothing else to do."

"Doubtful," Aster laughed, as she plucked a scroll from the shelf randomly. "It's hilarious to see their faces when you turn the power off."

"But I have never turned the power off," Zane said, confused.

"When 'one' turns the power off," Aster amended. "I swear Kai was _this_ close to crying when I switched it off right before he killed Jay."

Zane nodded, but said nothing. Once again they lapsed into an uncomfortable silence. Just for something to do, Aster unrolled the scroll, reading through it.

The scroll wasn't written in clear calligraphy like the others she had read. Rather, it was in charcoal, and the words were a little messy, as if written by a childish hand. Curious, she tried to decipher the first few paragraphs:

 _Sensei Wu has given me this scroll to record the extents of my power, seeing as I am the last of my line, and if something should happen to me, the Masters of Wind will be no more. This scroll is how we will be remembered._

 _At least, that is what Sensei has told me. I think this is more for his personal interests, as he is one to whom information and history matter very much, even if they do not benefit anyone._

 _This is a belittling task for someone who is destined to be the most powerful being in Ninjago, but I will do as Sensei wishes. For the moment._

 _Morro_

 _Master of Wind_

Aster stared at the scroll in disbelief. Her father's work- It seemed near impossible. Her father had been banished to the Cursed Realm. She'd thought that all traces of her father's legacy had been destroyed, and she would never learn of the man who'd sired her.

She smiled a little. Her father wasn't as bad as Sensei Wu had made out- she'd been imagining a murderous monster who would stop at nothing to destroy those more powerful. But Morro wasn't like that at all. True, from what she'd discerned from his small portion of writing, he was impatient, and arrogant. But who was she to judge? So was she.

"You dropped this," Zane spoke up at last, startling Aster out of her thoughts. He handed her a slip of paper, which had probably fallen out of the scroll. She took it.

"Thanks." Aster inspected it. It was a photograph of two people- a boy and a young man. The man had cropped blonde hair, styled much like Jay's. He would have been unrecognizable but for the golden characters on his kimono, the teapot in his hands, and his twinkling pale blue eyes. He was a much younger Sensei Wu, with his arm around the boy.

The boy was clearly her father. He had black eyes, much like Aster's own, and a curtain of black hair surrounded his face, interrupted by a single streak of rebellious green. It seemed the mastery of Wind was not the only thing she'd inherited. Aster grinned at the picture and scroll in her hand. Despite only knowing of her father for a week or so, she was already fond of him. It would be nice to see if she could meet him. At least, she'd be able to, if he weren't…

Dead. In the exhilaration of discovering her biological father, she'd forgotten both her parents were dead. The grin slid off her face. She would never see her father, never see what he thought of her. Would he be proud of her? After all, she was one of the best swordsmen in Ninjago, and with her mastery of Wind, one of the most powerful. Or would he be disappointed in the way she turned out- arrogant, careless, and problematic? And her mother- she'd given her life to birth Aster. Would she find her sacrifice worth it?

 _I'll never find out_ , Aster thought bitterly. _I wish… I could see them both once. Just to properly see them._

"Are you alright?" Zane asked gently, snapping her out of her thoughts. "You seem distressed. Do I need to get Sensei?"

"I'm fine," Aster answered quickly. She was appalled at the tears that threatened to well in her eyes. _Don't. Don't you dare._

"May I see?" Zane held out a hand. She obliged, putting both scroll and picture in his hand. He studied it, tilting his head inquisitively. "He looks a lot like you," Zane observed, stating the obvious. "But… Not so much like Kai. Or Nya."

 _Why would he look like Kai or Nya… Oh._ She'd never told the ninja about her true parentage, but she'd assumed that Kai or Nya would have said something. She'd never found her adoption to be embarrassing, but now, faced with discovery… She was hesitant to admit the truth.

But Zane was a ninja. She was a ninja. Technically, now he was family. Didn't he have a right to know?

"He's not Kai's father. Or Nya's." She shuffled on her feet. Oh, dragon fodder, what was Zane so hard to talk to? He was just _staring_ at her. He also had his trademark I-have-absolutely-no-idea-what-you're-talking-about-but-because-I-am-a-polite-person-I-will-keep-listening-to-you face on. Spinjitzu, _every_ conversation with him was awkward. _I need to punch something_.

On the downside, the only things nearby were Sensei's prized scrolls and Zane.

"Kai and Nya are adopted?" Zane looked at her, bewildered. Aster stared back at him, not sure whether to laugh or scream.

She decided to go with neither. "No. _I_ am adopted. My father died before I was born, and my mother died birthing me. I was adopted by Kai's parents. His mother died of disease when I was five, and his father was killed by bandits when I was eight." Aster paused. "Wow. That was morbid."

"Why don't the other ninja know?" Zane nudged. This guy was full of questions.

"Because there was no reason to tell them." She shrugged, ever pragmatic.

"You have to tell them," he insisted. "They are your brothers now. You cannot hide your past forever. Better they learn now, than on the battlefield, when loss of concentration could be their doom." Zane smiled at her faintly, and turned to walk out.

"Where are you going?" she called after him.

"To cook dinner. Knowing Cole and Kai, we best prepare the biggest meal humanly possible."

"Good idea. Can I help?"

"Of course." Aster scampered after him, and despite how different they looked, one might have thought they were truly brother and sister.

*Zane*

"What is this?" Jay nudged a brown lump with his fork. The sun was setting outside, and the lack of light didn't make it look any more appetising.

"Smoked eel," Cole mumbled with his mouth full. Opposite to him, Kai was engaging in an intense staring contest with his food, despite its lack of eyes.

"Actually, it was meant to be roast chicken," Zane pointed out. "Aster was in charge of it."

The Ninja of Wind spread out her arms as eyes turned to her. "What?"

"You said you were good with fire." Zane crossed his arms. Evidently she needed cooking lessons. And for that matter, so did Cole, who was still digging into the offending course.

"I was a blacksmith," Aster objected. "I have a Ninja of Fire for a brother. _Of course_ I'm good with fire."

"Cooking is very different from making swords, Aster," Zane closed his eyes. "One does not _hammer_ meat into submission. One does not throw said meat directly into the fire. And one certainly does not plunge the meat into ice cold water afterwards."

Aster rolled her eyes amid gales of laughter. "Same thing. It's edible, isn't it?"

"This is why I used to cook," Nya sighed, shaking her head.

"You must have been an awesome chef," Jay chirruped, his eyes immediately lighting up. Cole and Kai looked at each other, exasperated. Confused at the turn of events, Zane shrugged and shovelled a spoonful of the mutilated dish into his mouth.

"She wasn't," Kai clarified. Aster snorted, and began to laugh, before Nya silenced her with a withering glare.

Cole tilted his head at them. "If Nya was such a bad chef, why didn't your mom cook?"

An awkward silence fell as the siblings shuffled around. It seemed Kai and Nya shared Aster's reluctance to talk about their parents. Eventually, it was Aster who spoke up, staring resolutely at the wall.

"Mom's been dead for a long time."

"Oh," Cole ducked his head, seemingly embarrassed. "Sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry for," Nya brushed it off. "And before you ask, Dad's been dead for some time as well."

"Where's Sensei?" Kai asked with forced cheerfulness, steering the conversation away from their parents.

"Sensei is in town," Zane answered immediately. "He said something about research."

"Research about what?" Jay echoed Zane's own thoughts.

"It's not our place to question him," Cole frown at the Ninja of Lightning.

Zane turned to look at Aster, who was staring blankly into space. She called it "thinking Cole-style". She had a hand in her pocket, where Zane knew she kept her father's scroll. Judging from her reaction to inquiries about even her adopted parents, he guessed she was unlikely to divulge the truth about her true parentage on her own. So he decided to push her.

"Have you learnt anything else about your father?" he asked, emphasising "your".

She glared at him through narrowed eyes. "No. I learned nothing more than what I told you in _confidence_."

Their brief exchange had caught the attention of the other ninja.

" _Your_ father?" Cole pressed. "Aren't you Kai and Nya's sister? Isn't your dad the same guy?"

"No," she said flatly. "I'm adopted. Which is a useless piece of information, and shouldn't change anything." Aster sprang to her feet and marched out of the room.

"I apologise," Zane said quietly to no one in particular. "I was not aware she would be so distressed."

"She'll cool off," Kai shrugged, already turning back to dinner. "She's like that."

"Hypocrite," Nya mumbled, dodging a swipe from Kai.

"I'm confused." Cole looked from Kai to Nya to Zane.

"Aren't you always?" Jay sang softly, so Cole couldn't hear.

"Yeah," Kai turned to Zane. "What do you mean, 'anything else'?"

"She found a scroll written by her father in the library," Zane explained, standing up to take the surprisingly empty plates. "And a picture of him. She explained to me about her origins, and I told her to tell you, as it seemed wrong to hide anything from the rest of you. We are a team, after all."

Was it just him, or did Cole just wince? Zane shrugged it off. "I was not aware she would be so distress," he said again. "Where are you going?" Zane turned to look at Cole, who was moving towards the door.

"To check on her," he replied, raising an eyebrow, like it was obvious.

Immediately, Kai and Nya moved to stop him.

"She trains when she's mad," Nya explained. "To be precise, she destroys things. You don't want to get in her line of fire." Cole nodded slowly, and sat back down. To emphasise her points, a loud _bang_ sounded from the courtyard. Jay winced, as if sorry for the equipment.

"She'll calm down," Nya said, though she sounded unsure.

Well. He would certainly never meddle in other people's affairs again. Zane flinched as the screech of metal on metal sounded.

*Little Monk*

He scurried along the corridors of the monastery, keeping his head down. The older monks didn't notice him. They walked slowly, burdened by the weight of the many scrolls they were carrying. Normally, he would pace himself similarly, but today he held only one scroll, and a small one at that. It was night in one of the sixteen realms- one of the smallest realms. Its name was Ninjago.

The little monk quickened his pace. Today was one of his nights off, and likely he would not have another one in a long time. It was crucial he arrived at his destination before Ninjago's night was over.

Not to mention that this was against the ancient laws. When a monk of Cloud city came into existence, the first thing they learned was not to meddle with the affairs of any of the realms. They were to leave everything to what had been preordained by the Master Writer.

But everything had been put in jeopardy when a witch with the power to defy fate had married, and birthed a young boy. A Master of Wind, who'd inherited that power. One named Morro.

The perfect future the Master Writer had had in mind was doomed. At least, unless he completed his mission.

The little monk pressed his lips together. No doubt what he was about to was exceedingly reckless, and more so with his inexperience in dreamwalking. But he had read the future the Master Writer had planned out, and with Morro dead, it was impossible. He had thought so, until he'd found a curious little scroll, which, unlike its many, many, counterparts, wrote itself. It belonged to a young girl, who should have never existed.

Her name was Aster.

Arriving at his destination, he entered and bolted the thick door shut behind him. He approached the altar centred in cavernous room, his footsteps echoing eerily. He hoped desperately no one could hear him.

He placed the scroll on the altar, and stepped back. And waited. And waited some more. Nothing happened. _Blast it, this is why I should have gotten someone else to do it._ His temper frayed, and he hammered on the surface of the altar. "Work, already!"

The altar glowed golden in response to his touch. He felt the waves of power rolling off it. The power that was searching Ninjago for the last Master of Wind.

He knew, the moment it found her. The gold was eaten up by a dark, murky green- a green that was the last remnant of her father's ambitious desires, which she herself harboured unconsciously. The glow faded abruptly, as suddenly the walls lit up in a mass of colours. The monastery disappeared around him as he stepped into her dreams.

First impression of the Master of Wind- she was a strange child. He'd expected to step into a bright world surrounded be toys, maybe involving the ninja. He had not expected to hear the clash of sword as soon as he entered the dream- the dream of a _ten-year-old girl_ , mind you. Admittedly, the swordplay was brilliant. But he was beginning to have doubts about placing the fate of the wold in her hands.

He cleared his throat, trying to get her attention. She paid him no heed. He tried again. But Aster was completely absorbed in her dream. The little monk took a deep breath.

" _Aster Graye!_ " he bellowed, ending up with a sword at his throat. Was it possible to die in someone else's dream? He'd better research that.

"Whoa." Aster peered at him. "I _live_ in a monastery, and I don't wear that." She gestured at his habit. He blinked. Of all the possible reactions, he hadn't anticipated that one. He opened his mouth to lecture her on the importance of a monk's habit, but was cut off.

" _Graye_?" she demanded. "Where did you get that one? It's 'Smith'. And where's your sword? It's no fun killing unarmed people."

Was it too late to warn someone else? Maybe Jay Walker. But then the monk in charge of his scroll would find out about the visit, and that would be disastrous. It looked like he was stuck with the crazy not-supposed-to-exist girl who didn't even know her own surname.

" _Listen_ to me," he said urgently. With his luck, she'd forget this dream as soon as she woke up. He'd heard of that happening. "I need to tell you something important." He felt no small amount of relief when she nodded to indicate he had her full attention. "There's something wrong with Ninjago. Someone died, who shouldn't have died, many years ago. And because of that mistake, you are here today."

"Are you saying I'm not supposed to exist?" Aster said sharply, hackles rising.

"Essentially," he admitted, hoping she would not take out her anger on him. "But," he said quickly, "You do hold tremendous power, a power which you can use to fix Ninjago."

She surveyed her hands. "Will I be more powerful than the ninja?"

"That's not how it works," he said, wincing. "What I mean, is that you know a truth that _no one_ knows, and no one _can_ know. Knowledge in itself is a power. If anybody finds out, things could go badly for you, me, and Ninjago."

"Aha," she said, unimpressed. "So what am I supposed to do with this… _power_?"

He shuddered. He was scared of the way she said that word, like a weapon, a treasure, a promise.

A threat.

Like father, like daughter. He _really_ worried about putting the fate of Ninjago into her hands.

"You are different, Aster," he said seriously, trying not to flinch from the hunger in her onyx eyes. "Everyone else in Ninjago- not to mention the other realms- has a fate preordained and ready for them. There are prophecies, predictions, and everything in their way, most especially the Ninja of Fire, Earth, Lightning and Ice. But you… You can do anything. You write your own destiny, and change the fate of yours around you. You need to know that sooner than anyone would like, there is going to be a battle between Light and Dark. The Green Ninja is key to everything. You must protect the power of the Green Ninja _with your life_. Do you understand?"

Aster studied him for a long time. Then nodded, and he exhaled. "Good. Farewell, Aster Graye."

The dream, with its bloodied grass, melted away into the shadows of the monastery. The little monk closed his eyes. _Spinjitzu help us all_ , he prayed.

Realms away, the Master of Wind awoke.

* * *

Hey, I'm back! I apologise for my unplanned absence. I've read your reviews, but haven't had time to answer them. I will, soon. I'm going to make a few changes in how I write the chapters, and they will commence in the next chapters.

The _More Than Green_ trilogy will go like this:

A Darker Shade of Green- Pilot Episodes, Season 1, Season 2

A Ghostly Shade of Green- Season 3, Season 4, Season 5

A Fading Shade of Green- Season 6, Season 7, and my own conclusion.

Titles may be subject to change.

I've also grown tired of desperately copying down the dialogue, so I will omit the episodes and details I deem unimportant. I will also add in many fillers like this one. I'd also appreciate tips to make Aster more humanoid- she was a little Mary-Sue-ish in the earlier chapters, and I apologise profusely.

Thank you for reading, despite my EXTREMELY long break.


	9. An Author's Note

To all my faithful readers who are still reading this,

First of all, I'd like to thank you for your continued support and dedication to _A Darker Shade of Green_. I know I am terrible at updating, and there are multiple problems with this story, yet you strangely stubborn, wonderful people are still here.

Or I could be talking to thin air, but let's hope for the best.

If you've been reading since the beginning, you'll remember my irregular updating pattern and the long breaks I take between chapters. Alas, I live (at least partially) in the real world and I dedicate my time to things more material to fanfiction. One of those things includes reading professionally written and edited books.

So now I've come back to fanfiction with higher standards and a (hopefully) more orderly, less erratic writing style (even if my grammar refuses to improve). I came back with the intention of finishing and uploading Chapter 9, but after reading through what I had already written, including the previous eight chapters, I have come to the conclusion that the story I have written is simply not good enough.

I know there are some of you out there who absolutely love my pet story, given what I've read in the comments, but I'm sure you've noticed the many problems with Aster and my interpretations of the ninja. I've made them all one-dimensional. I've given them a strength and a weakness and called it a day. The only exception here is Aster, to whom I've given too many strengths.

Some of you got excited when I gave her the ability to talk to dragons, which branched off from her mastery of the wind. I love dragons too, and I can understand why you loved it so much. But dragonspeak has no place in Ninjago. A lot of the things I've done don't match with what should be happening in Ninjago.

In addition, I've essentially attached Aster to Ninjago with duct-tape. She's too artificially integrated into the team. There's too much about her that just doesn't fit.

However, I did not write this author's note to whine about the imperfections of my story. The purpose of this note is to make an announcement- I'm rewriting A Darker Shade of Green.

Yes, I know how impractical and irresponsible this seems. But I'd like a solid foundation to build the rest of the story on, and these first eight chapters aren't helping. I also feel like the story should be more deserving of all your wonderful comments.

I won't change everything. All I will do is fix circumstances, dialogue and characters to make them seem a little less forced, and perhaps deviate from Ninjago where I feel it doesn't make sense. The essential plotline will not change (Ninjago won't change, of course, but I mean the fillers I had planned).

What I plan to do is write the first ten chapters in one go, meaning I will rewrite the first eight and add the two next ones. I'll add all ten chapters to Fanfiction together, so you won't have to wait in between. The writing of the ten chapters will take some time, and I will not even try to guess how long. When the chapters are uploaded, I'll delete the old ones. I may also try to redesign the cover and change the description.

What all this will achieve is a new theme, for lack of a better word. I began this story just to note down my solution to Lloyd's forever-loneliness, but my goals have shifted. Seasons 1, 2, and 3 (counting the pilots as a season) to me, are about a group of kids growing up, maturing into a team of ninja ready to take down the evil in the world. I want to convey that in _A Darker Shade of Green_ and expand beyond my original fangirl-y fantasies.

The thing I will regret most when deleting the old chapters is the consequent deleting of your reviews. I have read all the reviews posted on this fanfiction, even the ones I did not have time to thoroughly reply to.

Apologies to DovahkiinNightShift, GirlOfMyOwnWorld, and kame otaku, who took the time to comment on my fanfiction, but to whom I never replied to. An additional apology to guest reviewer MMM to whom I never replied to either. There may be more of you who I have unknowingly ignored, and I offer you my sincere apologies.

Despite my evident irresponsibility, there are also Fanfictioners who have persisted in sharing their opinions with me. While I value all of your comments, all positive comments that made me smile, I feel I need to name FirstFandomFangirl, MMM, Maniac at Mindnight, INFJwriter, and kame otaku (who even made fanart! OH MY GOODNESS FIVE MONTHS LATER AND I'M STILL FANGIRLING). If that's you reading this, I'd like to thank you again for your continued and undeserved support.

I know this probably isn't very impactful. I'm just a small-scale author who never updates, and has eight chapters and eighteen favourites. But for what it's worth, everyone reading this has my gratitude for their continued faith in _A Darker Shade of Green_.

So once again, thank you for your understanding, and sorry for being such a procrastinator,

GarmadonJr

P.S. Yes, I am working on Chapter 1 right now. I will not touch Minecraft until I have given what I owe you all.


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